Donald Trump has threatened to “bomb and destroy” Iranian civilian infrastructure every time Tehran targets a ship in the Strait of Hormuz as both sides continued to wrestle for control of the vital waterway.
“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP” he wrote.
The comments came after Iran warned in kind that it would launch a “powerful attack” against all US targets in the Gulf region if Donald Trump follows through with recent threats against Iranian nuclear sites.
“America, its allies, and the supporters of that rogue and evil country will be targeted by a powerful assault from Iran’s armed forces,” if Iran’s heavily fortified “Pickaxe Mountain” is attacked, Tehran’s military HQ said in a statement.
Iran launches fresh attacks around regionIran is launching fresh attacks around the region, following another night of US strikes on Tuesday.
The Revolutionary Guards say they have targeted the Prince Hassan and King Faisal bases in Jordan, according to Iran’s state news agency.
US targets at Camp Doha in Kuwait were attacked by drones overnight, Iranian media said.
Saudi civil defence issued a warning of potential danger in Dammam – but the danger had passed as of Wednesday lunchtime.
Sirens also sounded in Bahrain, according to the interior ministry.
Alex Croft22 July 2026 14:18
Jordan added to EU no-fly listJordan has been added to the EU’s no-fly list, as the nation and other U.S. Gulf allies were struck by Iran in the renewed conflict.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency on Wednesday asked airlines not to operate within the country’s airspace.
“Since the middle of July 2026, the security situation has deteriorated rapidly, with a sustained increase in kinetic military activity affecting Jordanian airspace,” EASA said in a statement.
EASA already recommends that airlines avoid the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Iraq and Lebanon.
Alex Croft22 July 2026 14:16
Watch: Trump warns Iran the US ‘has been nice’ so far in attacks as threat of full-blown war growsTrump warns Iran the US ‘has been nice’ so far in attacks as threat of full-blown war growsAlex Croft22 July 2026 13:45
Ships linked to Israel, US and Saudi Arabia warned against Red Sea travelShips with links to Israel, the US or Saudi Arabia are at a higher risk of being attacked by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi militia, the European Union’s naval force Aspides said on Wednesday.
The ships are advised to avoid voyages through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
“EUNAVFOR ASPIDES recommends that merchant vessels linked to Israeli, U.S. or Saudi interests avoid transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until the threat level decreases,” said the force’s advisory to the shipping industry which was seen by Reuters.
Alex Croft22 July 2026 13:17
More ships change course in the Red Sea after Houthi threats, shipping data showsFour tankers changed their navigational course in the Red Sea on Wednesday with two signalling the Suez Canal as their new destination after Yemen’s Houthi militia warned ships to avoid sailing to Saudi Arabian ports, ship tracking data showed.
The vessels all changed their direction, with the other two signalling their destination as open waters in the Red Sea, according to LSEG and MarineTraffic ship tracking data and analysis from British maritime risk management group Vanguard.
A fifth ship — a vehicle carrier — appeared to have turned away in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday after signalling the Saudi port of Jeddah as its next destination, according to shipping data.
Three oil tankers loaded with Saudi crude for China and India made U-turns in the Red Sea on Tuesday, heading towards the Suez Canal rather than braving the Yemeni coast at the sea’s mouth following the warning from the Iran-aligned Houthis.
Alex Croft22 July 2026 12:45
Analysis | Pete Hegseth is floundering. His desperate Senate appearance just proved thatPete Hegseth headed to Capitol Hill Tuesday to ask for another vast pile of money for a war that’s long over or isn’t over or has been going on for decades or is all Joe Biden’s fault anyway. The War-Not-Defense Secretary was making a request for an additional $87.6 billion for the Pentagon, over $70 billion of which appeared to be headed straight to the war he started in Iran.
Senators were not amused.
U.S. intelligence experts have reportedly warned the Trump administration that there’s no end in sight for the conflict, an insight underlined on Monday by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announcing: “[Trump] should know that, by God’s grace, even if this war lasts for several years, until the very last day, our missiles and drones will rain down on American criminals.” Definitely sounds like something a few more drones and bombs will fix, doesn’t it?
Holly Baxter writes…
Alex Croft22 July 2026 12:21
Hegseth’s new estimate for the cost of the war: Nearly $38 billionPete Hegseth’s latest estimate for the growing costs of the Iran war has now reached $37.5 billion.
That’s likely a low-end estimate, according to analysts.
Before the last week of attacks, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies estimated total costs to have reached between $34 billion and $42 billion. Other estimates place the true cost of the war at more than $100 billion.
Alex Croft22 July 2026 11:55
Middle East war could cut global growth to 1.3% in 2026, World Bank saysEscalating hostilities between the United States and Iran could reignite inflation, drive interest rates higher and knock global growth back to as low as 1.3 per cent, down from 2.9 per cent last year, World Bank chief economist Indermit Gill has said.
Gill, who retires at the end of August, said the bank had modelled three outcomes in its June economic forecast given the high uncertainty surrounding the war in the Middle East.
The worst-case scenario, with hostilities lasting six months or more has already come close to materializing, he said on Tuesday. Under that scenario, global headline inflation would reach 4.5 per cent.
Prolonged fighting and damage to the region’s oil infrastructure would also deepen food insecurity by disrupting shipments of fertilizer, helium and sulphur needed in agriculture, setting off a chain of secondary effects that could include higher interest rates, Gill said.
His comments were the first by a senior World Bank official since a sharp rise in tensions between Washington and Tehran and the collapse of an April ceasefire agreement that had fuelled hopes of a less severe impact from the conflict.
Alex Croft22 July 2026 11:31
Watch: Hegseth heckled by protestors during Iran war funding hearingHegseth heckled by protestors during Iran war funding hearingAlex Croft22 July 2026 11:06
Trump to attend ceremony for US troops killed by Iranian attacksDonald Trump will attend a ceremony for four US service members killed in Iranian attacks in the Middle East on Wednesday.
The troops will return to American soil in flag-draped caskets.
The ceremony, known as a “dignified transfer” of the bodies, comes amid growing frustration with Trump’s war against Iran.
The war has cost US taxpayers at least $37.5 billion so far, has led to the deaths of 18 US service members and injured more than 450 troops. It has killed thousands of Iranians.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have raised questions about the war, which has caused global oil prices to rise and shows no signs of ending. Since the war started in February, Trump has offered differing objectives for the war.
The US president will travel to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the ceremony.
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)Alex Croft22 July 2026 10:43
