US completes 11th straight night of strikes on Iran as diplomacy falters

The US military carried out its 11th consecutive night of airstrikes on Iran early Wednesday, as fighting across the Middle East continued to overshadow diplomatic efforts in Pakistan to revive a collapsed interim ceasefire agreement.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest strikes targeted aircraft hangars and drone storage facilities. The attacks followed President Donald Trump's indication that the US campaign against Iran would intensify.

Ahead of the latest strikes, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni visited Pakistan, which has been acting as a key mediator in the conflict, in an effort to revive diplomatic talks. However, it remained unclear whether a new agreement could be reached to end the war, which has increasingly focused on control of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global energy supplies. ExecutiveBranch

Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump expressed little optimism about negotiations, saying the US had "no interest in meeting." He also suggested that US forces could soon strike an area near one of Iran's main uranium enrichment sites.

With diplomatic efforts stalled and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz largely disrupted, both sides have increasingly targeted civilian infrastructure across the region that supports millions of people.

Despite repeated US airstrikes, Iran has maintained control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's crude oil and natural gas passed before the conflict began.

The US continued its attacks into Wednesday as Iranian air defence systems were activated near Tehran. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported explosions in Bushehr, East Azerbaijan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Khuzestan, and Sistan and Baluchistan provinces.

The latest strikes came a day after Iran attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel. Iran also continued attacks on US allies in the region, launching strikes against Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait.

The escalating conflict pushed global energy prices higher, with benchmark crude oil trading above $92 a barrel on Wednesday and the average price of regular gasoline in the United States reaching $4 per gallon.

As the US prepares for midterm elections later this year, opinion polls have shown growing public dissatisfaction with the war, driven by rising fuel prices and increasing American casualties in a conflict that had appeared to be easing only weeks ago.

A US official told The Associated Press that the number of wounded American troops in the Iran conflict has exceeded 500. The figure is higher than the Pentagon's official count of 482 injured personnel listed in its Defense Casualty Analysis System.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly, said the reporting system has a significant delay in recording injuries due to its design rather than any deliberate effort to under report casualties.

Houthis open new front in the Red Sea

Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have expanded the conflict by announcing a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, threatening global oil supplies and international trade. With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, Saudi Arabia has relied on a pipeline to the Red Sea to export millions of barrels of oil.

The Houthi-run SABA news agency reported Tuesday that six ships in the Red Sea changed course after receiving warnings from the group. The Associated Press could not immediately verify the claim.

Three Houthi officials, speaking anonymously because they were not authorised to brief the media, said the group had warned international shipping companies on Monday against using the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea.

Pakistan renews diplomatic efforts

During his visit to Islamabad, Momeni met Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to two officials familiar with the closed-door talks. He later held talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. 

In a statement, Sharif expressed deep concern over the recent escalation between the US and Iran and urged all parties to show restraint and avoid further actions that could destabilise the region.

Pakistan's civilian and military leadership had helped broker last month's interim agreement between Washington and Tehran and has since been trying to bring both sides back to the negotiating table.

Trump, however, said Iranian officials "want to desperately meet," but added that the US had "no interest in meeting" until they were prepared for meaningful negotiations. He also said the US could soon target the area around Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified underground site near one of Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities.

Iranian military leaders warned that any attack on nuclear or other sensitive facilities would be viewed as a major escalation, according to Iranian state media.

Relations between the two sides remain deeply strained. Iran was hit by surprise attacks in June 2025 and again in February while nuclear negotiations with the US were underway. The interim ceasefire later collapsed after Iran resumed attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which was supposed to reopen under the agreement.

Tanker attacked in Strait of Hormuz

The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a tanker was attacked early Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the ship.

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for that attack as well as two other strikes on ships in the strategic waterway on Monday.

The shipping route close to Oman's coast has been the corridor recommended by the US military to help commercial vessels avoid Iranian-controlled waters.

CENTCOM said on X that, as of Tuesday, US forces had redirected eight commercial ships and disabled one vessel as part of efforts to enforce the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.