00:00U.S. and Iran exchange heavy strikes as conflict escalates beyond the Gulf.
00:05Washington slash Dubai, July 18th.
00:08The United States and Iran have entered a new and dangerous phase of direct military confrontation,
00:13with both sides launching increasingly aggressive strikes against each other's assets across the Middle East,
00:18including attacks on U.S. bases in Syria.
00:21The escalating conflict, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC,
00:26has claimed responsibility for a series of missile and drone attacks on U.S. military positions,
00:31including a base in Syria that Iran says caused significant American casualties and damaged U.S. aircraft.
00:37Syrian officials have disputed these claims, calling them false information.
00:41The exchange comes just one month after the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding
00:45aimed at reducing tensions following the conflict that began in late February 2026.
00:51However, Iran continues to accuse the United States of targeting civilian infrastructure,
00:56while Washington insists its strikes are focused on military targets.
01:00On Friday, July 17th, the U.S. launched airstrikes on Iranian infrastructure in the south,
01:06targeting a railway station and at least five bridges, resulting in the collapse of multiple structures.
01:11According to reports, at least 12 people were killed and 20 wounded in the attack.
01:15A widening war, observers say the tit-for-tat strikes are expanding the battlefield.
01:20The U.S. is no longer limiting its attacks to coastal regions,
01:23but has now struck targets deep inside Iran, including multiple bridges.
01:27President Trump has warned that if Iran does not surrender,
01:30the U.S. will target energy infrastructure and power plants across the country.
01:33In response, Iran has threatened a massive retaliation against all U.S. bases in the Middle East.
01:40Tehran has already claimed responsibility for missile strikes on U.S. bases in Syria,
01:46demonstrating its willingness to expand the conflict.
01:50The Iranian Ministry of Energy has advised citizens to conserve electricity and secure their own fuel supplies,
01:57warning that the country is preparing for renewed confrontation.
02:01Meanwhile, the Ministry has declared that U.S. strikes on energy infrastructure are no longer just a threat for next
02:08week.
02:08They are already happening in the south.
02:12A Week of Hostilities
02:14As of July 18th, the conflict has entered its seventh day.
02:19The immediate cause of the renewed fighting was Iran's attacks on commercial ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz,
02:25which the U.S. considered a violation of the MOU that was supposed to guarantee safe passage.
02:32The U.S. has responded with a military operation to liberate the Strait.
02:37Iran has also targeted U.S. bases in Kuwait, disrupting power supplies and destroying a desalination plant.
02:44The IRGC has claimed responsibility for striking U.S. air defense systems and bases in Qatar as well.
02:50Meanwhile, Qatar's air defenses intercepted Iranian missiles fired into its territory.
02:56The IRGC has also claimed to have struck U.S. radar systems in Oman and launched missiles at U.S.
03:03bases in Syria,
03:05though the U.S. has stated that its forces withdrew from Syria in February and no longer have a presence
03:11there.
03:12Syrian Kurdish-led forces reported shooting down at least four Iranian missiles,
03:16while U.S.-led coalition forces in Syria claim to have downed several Iranian drones,
03:22killing members of an armed group opposing the Tehran regime.
03:26The Human Toll
03:27Since the conflict reignited, at least 38 people have been killed and over 400 wounded,
03:34according to the Syrian Ministry of Health, which issued a report on Friday, July 17,
03:40summarizing casualties from the first seven days of renewed hostilities.
03:43The Strait of Hormuz remains in Iranian hands.
03:47Iran has maintained that the Strait of Hormuz remains under the control of the IRGC,
03:52despite U.S. efforts to enforce a blockade.
03:55Washington, however, has declared the Strait blockaded, preventing Iranian tankers from exiting.
04:00The U.S. has deployed more than 20 warships, two aircraft carriers, the USS Lee and USS Bush,
04:07capable of carrying over 100 fighter jets, to enforce the naval blockade.
04:12The Strait of Hormuz is the world's fifth most important shipping lane,
04:16connecting the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific market.
04:19Oil prices have climbed sharply, with the Asian benchmark rising toward $90 per barrel.
04:25The Strait's Legal Status
04:27The Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran and Oman.
04:31Tehran claims exclusive control over its waters, while Oman has not made such a claim.
04:36The U.S., under President Trump, has declared the Strait an international waterway,
04:42rejecting both Iran's and Oman's claims of exclusive jurisdiction.
04:46The U.S. has framed its military operation as a special military operation
04:51to liberate the Strait from IRGC control.
04:55China and other nations have called for both sides to return to the negotiating table
04:59and halt the conflict that is disrupting global shipping.
05:03However, Iran has insisted that no country has the right to control the Strait
05:08except the sovereign state that owns the territory.
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