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US strikes on Iran entered an eleventh consecutive night on Tuesday, triggering air defence activity across Tehran, as President Donald Trump warned that the United States was "not finished" attacking Iran. The latest strikes, which the US military said targeted "military logistics infrastructure," came amid reports of Iranian attacks on several Gulf states and threats from Tehran's Houthi allies to blockade Saudi ports.

Coverage comparison

Reports of the ongoing campaign describe a conflict that has expanded beyond the Strait of Hormuz to include other key chokepoints for global oil supplies. The US military said the strikes aim to degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iranian state media reported attacks around the country, including near Bushehr, which hosts a nuclear power plant. State TV posted on Telegram that "air defence activity was heard in the west, east and northeast of Tehran."

President Trump warned on Tuesday that Iran would need more than 20 years to recover from the damage inflicted, saying, "If we left right now, it would take Iran 20, 25 years to rebuild. We're not finished at all... we're not leaving right now." The warning came as Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain reported Iranian attacks. Bahrain said it intercepted Iranian attacks as sirens sounded repeatedly, while Kuwait and Jordan said they had intercepted drone and missile strikes. Kuwait said Tehran had hit power and water desalination plants over several days, including on Monday, forcing residents to ration energy.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed a strike on Jordan, saying they had targeted a "complex housing US terrorist forces in the region of Rukban." The Iranian army had earlier said it targeted US assets in Kuwait and Bahrain, including air defence systems, radar installations and administrative buildings. "With this radar sweep, the enemy should prepare for even more decisive and powerful waves of drone and missile attacks," the Guards said in a statement carried by state news agency IRNA.

Key claims

  • Cost of the war: Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that the cost of the war had soared to $37.5 billion, defending a request for tens of billions in additional funding for the military. A separate estimate cited by The Guardian put the US expenditure at at least $38bn, based on CSIS thinktank figures.
  • US casualties: France 24 reported that 17 US service members have been killed since the war resumed on July 7.
  • Iranian casualties and damage: Iran has reported about 3,500 killed and between $150bn and $270bn in damage from the US-led bombing, according to The Guardian.
  • Missile usage: The US has used more than 1,000 Tomahawk and 1,100 Jassm cruise missiles, according to CSIS estimates cited by The Guardian. The Tomahawks, which cost up to $3.6m each, might not be replaced until 2031.
  • Threats of further attacks: Trump said the next US target could be an underground complex known as Pickaxe Mountain, a subterranean nuclear site near Natanz where Western intelligence suspects Iran is building an undeclared enrichment facility. Iran threatened reprisals, with the Khatam Al-Anbiya military command saying it would "consider it as an expansion of war in the region" if such an attack were carried out, threatening strikes on "all the interests of America, the allies and supporters", state-run broadcaster IRIB reported.
  • Houthi threat: Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels threatened to blockade Saudi ports, and Trump said he would "take care of" the Houthis if they followed through on the threat.

Perspectives

US administration: The Trump administration frames the campaign as necessary to degrade Iran's military capabilities and protect commercial shipping, with the President vowing the US is "not finished" and that Iran would need decades to rebuild.

Iranian government: Iranian officials and state media portray the strikes as acts of aggression, with the military warning of "more decisive and powerful waves of drone and missile attacks" and threatening to expand the war regionally if the US attacks key nuclear sites. Iran has also reported significant civilian casualties and damage.