Tensions in the Middle East are escalating as the United States and Iran continue their intense standoff over the Strait of Hormuz for the seventh consecutive day.
The U.S. is signaling a military buildup by expanding its airstrike targets deep into Iranian territory, while simultaneously calling in fighter jets to the Middle East and notifying Israel of plans to deploy additional aerial refueling tankers.
Iran has immediately warned of a "full-scale offensive" and has begun striking civilian facilities in pro-U.S. Gulf states, as both sides move beyond the previous memorandum of understanding (MOU) and fuel the flames of conflict.
On July 17 (local time), the U.S. Central Command stated on X (formerly Twitter) that it "began airstrikes in Iran for the seventh consecutive day at 3 p.m. Eastern Time."
Shortly after the announcement, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported that explosions were heard in Ahvaz in the southwest, Yazd in the central region, and Sirik, a port city near the Strait of Hormuz that houses an Iranian naval base.
When the U.S. resumed airstrikes on Iran on July 11, it primarily targeted military facilities and surveillance installations near the Strait of Hormuz. However, it is now expanding its targets to include civilian infrastructure such as railways, bridges, and airports.
IRNA reported that U.S. airstrikes the previous day destroyed several bridges in Hormozgan Province, resulting in at least 8 deaths and 20 injuries.
Amid observations that the Donald Trump administration, facing midterm elections, is leaning toward escalation rather than diplomatic solutions against Iran, the U.S. military has begun to steadily bring in military assets to the Middle East.
Axios reported that the U.S. military has notified Israeli air bases of plans to increase the number of aerial refueling tankers.
Currently, the U.S. has 30 tankers deployed at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv and a similar number at Ramon Airport in the south, and it intends to dispatch dozens more.
This scale is comparable to the level seen at the end of February, when the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran to begin the war.
Aerial refueling tankers are considered one of the key assets for long-range airstrike operations, as they significantly extend the operational radius and flight time of fighter jets.
The Wall Street Journal also cited aircraft tracking sites and sources, noting that the U.S. is redeploying fighter jets from bases in Europe to the Middle East, highlighting the risk of the conflict expanding into a larger war.
Currently, the U.S. military has 2,000 troops from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed in Iranian waters, carrying out operations to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
In response, Iran has declared its own hardline stance.
Mohsen Rezaee, a military advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, warned in an interview with state broadcaster IRIB that if U.S. attacks continue for another two to three days, Iran will enter a "phase of full-scale offensive and destructive operations."
At the same time, Iran has expanded its strike range against U.S. military facilities in Gulf countries.
Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy stated that Iranian attacks on power plants and seawater desalination facilities in Kuwait caused equipment damage, fires, and destruction of power generation hardware.
As Kuwait supplies approximately 90% of its drinking water through desalination facilities, such attacks pose a serious threat to the Kuwaiti people.
Following an attack on a U.S. drone base in Bahrain, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that it had also destroyed a major AI center in Bahrain using ballistic missiles and drones, labeling the site as a "location used for U.S. war crimes."
As the U.S. military resumes its blockade of Iranian ports, damage to civilian vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz is mounting.
IRNA reported on July 18 that two oil tankers exploded in the Strait of Hormuz, causing large fires.
In a statement, the IRGC announced, "Two oil tankers that were deceived by U.S. intelligence agencies and attempted to pass through a mine-laid area in the southern Strait of Hormuz exploded, resulting in large fires."
The IRGC also stated that four U.S.-backed vessels attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz over several hours, but all were blocked through joint missile and drone operations.
CNN reported, citing data from the vessel tracking site MarineTraffic, that only 6 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the 24 hours leading up to July 17.
Before the war, an average of 110 to 130 ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz daily, and traffic had recovered to 30 to 50 ships per day after the signing of the MOU last month and before the two countries resumed armed conflict.
CNN reported that this "shows that ships passing through the world's busiest maritime corridor are facing increasing pressure."
(Photo: Getty Images)