The conflict in the Middle East deepened on Tuesday as Iran widened its missile campaign beyond Israel, targeting multiple countries in the Gulf, while fresh explosions rocked Tehran amid escalating threats from Washington.
Air raid sirens blared across Jerusalem as Israeli forces responded to incoming missiles, while Iranian state media reported new blasts in the capital that triggered “power outages in parts” of the city.
The latest escalation followed a warning from US President Donald Trump, who threatened sweeping attacks on Iran’s critical infrastructure if Tehran fails to agree to a deal to end the war.
Trump said US forces could target “all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!),” raising fears of a broader and more destructive phase of the conflict.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, indicated that the campaign against Iran was far from over, stating that more than half of Israel’s military objectives had been achieved, but declining to set a timeline for the end of operations.
The war, now stretching into its fourth week, has already spilled across borders, with Israel confirming the deaths of four additional soldiers in southern Lebanon, where clashes with Iranian-backed Hezbollah have intensified.
Tehran, under mounting pressure, has expanded its response by launching missiles toward Gulf countries it accuses of aiding US operations. The fallout has begun to hit key economic hubs.
In Dubai, falling debris from intercepted missiles injured four people, while authorities also reported a fire on a Kuwaiti oil tanker at the city’s port—incidents that have shaken confidence in the region’s stability.
Saudi Arabia, another key player in the region, said it intercepted eight ballistic missiles, hours after Iran’s top diplomat urged Riyadh to “eject US forces.”
Despite the rising tensions, diplomatic signals remain mixed. While the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump may be open to ending hostilities even if the Strait of Hormuz remains partially restricted, Tehran appears to be tightening its grip on the strategic waterway.
In a defiant move, an Iranian parliamentary committee voted to impose tolls on vessels passing through the strait and to bar ships linked to the United States and Israel entirely, an action that could disrupt a channel responsible for roughly a fifth of global oil shipments.
