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Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens on Tuesday, July 21, as Iran fired a fresh barrage at the island kingdom, widening a war that has now entered its tenth day of United States air raids, choked off shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and sent Brent crude past USD 88 a barrel, even as Tehran’s interior minister landed in Islamabad for Pakistani-brokered talks aimed at salvaging a collapsed interim deal with Washington.

The strike on Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, came hours after Iranian forces attacked a tanker off Oman and forced its crew to abandon ship, and after the US Central Command said it had hit Iranian command centres, missile and drone launch sites and air defence installations across five provinces.

Iran says military pressure failed to achieve enemy’s objectives

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said military pressure against the country had failed to achieve its intended objectives, forcing its adversaries to return to diplomacy.

He said Iran had maintained national unity despite attacks on key infrastructure and claimed the country’s negotiating gains had exceeded expectations.

Pezeshkian also accused Washington of failing to honour its commitments under the memorandum of understanding, adding that all major decisions continued to be taken in coordination with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Israeli minister says country prepared for any scenario

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel was not seeking to join the conflict directly but remained prepared for all possible scenarios.

He warned that any attack on Israel would be met with a response, adding that the country’s political leadership was weighing its next steps.

Smotrich also argued that sustained economic pressure on Iran remained the most effective way to weaken the Iranian government.

Iran claims strike on Amazon-linked facility

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its Aerospace Force targeted data infrastructure belonging to US technology company Amazon in Bahrain using several cruise missiles.

According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the IRGC claimed the facility had been destroyed.

Jordan intercepts five Iranian drones

Jordan’s Armed Forces said they intercepted and destroyed five Iranian drones that entered the kingdom’s airspace, adding that there were no casualties or damage.

The military said it remained on high alert and would continue taking all necessary measures to safeguard the country’s airspace.

ASEAN calls for restraint

Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) expressed deep concern over the escalating conflict, warning that continued hostilities could undermine diplomatic efforts and disrupt regional trade, energy supplies and food security.

The bloc urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint and pursue dialogue.

Lebanese army deploys to southern town

The Lebanese army entered Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh in southern Lebanon, where engineering units began clearing roads of unexploded ordnance and remnants of previous fighting.

Authorities advised residents to avoid returning until security operations were completed.

US issues worldwide security warning

The US State Department issued a worldwide security alert for American citizens, warning that rising tensions in the Middle East could lead to further violence, travel disruptions and threats to US interests abroad.

It urged Americans in the region to remain vigilant, follow instructions from local authorities and prepare for possible flight cancellations and airspace restrictions.

Kuwait activates air defence systems

Kuwaiti authorities said air defence systems intercepted incoming missiles and drones targeting US military facilities.

Officials said explosions heard across the country resulted from successful interceptions and urged residents to follow official safety instructions.

Qatar raises attacks at UN

Qatar submitted a complaint to the United Nations Security Council over what it described as Iranian attacks on its territory.

Doha said debris from intercepted ballistic missiles injured three people, including a child, and held Iran legally responsible for the incident.

10^th nights of bombing, no let-up on Hormuz

The two countries have been trading fire for 10 days over control of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas moves in peacetime.

The sustained American bombardment has not loosened Tehran’s grip on the waterway. Iranian state media reported explosions in Fars, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, and Sistan and Baluchistan provinces.

Central Command said American forces remained prepared to hold Iran responsible for what it called unwarranted aggression against civilian mariners transiting the strait, and released fresh footage of the bombing runs.

Traffic through the channel has slowed to a trickle. Lloyd’s List Intelligence said just three ships made the passage on Sunday, July 19.

Tankers hit, allies targeted

The British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre said a tanker was attacked early on Tuesday in the strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed that attack, along with two others on Monday, July 20. The UKMTO separately reported a previously unknown attack on a ship a day earlier.

The route around Oman is the one the US military has been urging shipping to use to stay clear of Iranian control.

Tehran has also struck at US allies across West Asia. Jordan’s military said on Tuesday that five drones and three missiles fired at the country were shot down.

American casualties mount

The US military identified two soldiers killed in Jordan, where a third person is missing. It separately confirmed another death in Iraq on Saturday, July 18, during what it described as the controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone.

President Donald Trump warned on social media on Monday that Iran would pay many times over for every American soldier killed. He was scheduled to attend a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base on Tuesday evening, where the remains of at least one service member were due to arrive.

The Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, Sean Parnell, said nearly 100 service members have been injured since strikes resumed on July 7, and that 96 per cent have returned to duty. Most of the injuries were minor concussions, he said on X, rejecting a New York Times report that the Pentagon had held back information on troop casualties from Iranian strikes.

The Defence Casualty Analysis System, the military’s own clearinghouse for conflict deaths and injuries, had still not been updated with the latest attacks as of Monday night.

Iranian authorities said on Sunday that at least 50 people have been killed and 517 wounded in the current round of American strikes. Seventeen US service members have died since the war began on February 28.

Pakistan tries again

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni arrived in Islamabad on Monday for two days of talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other officials, as Pakistan intensified efforts to revive the interim agreement signed last month. What shape a fresh deal might take remains unclear.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that Washington remains open to negotiations, but insisted any such opening would have to be real. If those in Tehran willing to do something productive gained control of the negotiations, he said, it would be a positive development, adding that this was not where matters stood.

Civilians in the crossfire

As the fighting has intensified, both sides have struck civilian infrastructure that millions depend on.

The US State Department issued a fresh advisory warning Americans that Iran and groups aligned with it may target American interests overseas or sites associated with the United States.

The escalation has driven up energy prices in recent weeks, with Brent crude trading above USD 88 a barrel on Tuesday, squeezing American households ahead of midterm elections this autumn.

(With inputs from Associated Press)