US launches fourth wave of strikes on Iran within a week

Trump's threat against Pickaxe Mountain

The military cited Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz as justification, particularly given that Trump had declared the ceasefire with Tehran ended just a few days earlier and had additionally announced a naval blockade. Centcom stated that the strikes would „die Fähigkeit Irans weiter einschränken, unschuldige Zivilisten und die Handelsschifffahrt in der Straße von Hormus zu attackieren“.

In the radio interview, Trump also suggested that the US could strike a facility deep underground, also known as „Pickaxe Mountain.“ Pickaxe was „a possible target“ for a „big, fat“ strike, Trump said. It would likely happen „relatively soon.“ The purpose of the facility has long been the subject of speculation, also because of its proximity to the Natanz nuclear facility. One theory is that Iran wants to build a secret facility there to enrich uranium that could be used to build nuclear weapons.

Explosions along Iran's southern coast

The US military has struck dozens of targets in Iran. Air defense systems and radar stations were among those targeted. Iranian state television reported overnight into Tuesday (local time) of explosions on Kish Island and in the port city of Bandar Abbas. Explosions were also reported from the area around the port city of Bushehr, Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, and the major city of Bandar Abbas.

Iran in turn responded to the US strikes with retaliatory attacks – including against Gulf states where the US maintains important military bases. In recent days, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards had responded to American attacks with counter-strikes on US bases in other countries in the region. Specifically, the Iranian side carried out attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, around 1,000 kilometers away.

Iran's retaliation and concerns about war escalation

In recent days, the US has deliberately targeted Iranian infrastructure, which is also leading to energy shortages and power outages, reports ZDF correspondent Jörg Brase. Iran meanwhile declared the Strait of Hormuz „closed.“ US President Donald Trump promptly denied this characterization.

All of this has fueled concerns in the region about a full-scale resurgence of the war. The powerful Revolutionary Guards again responded with retaliatory strikes against the Gulf states of Kuwait and Bahrain as well as against Jordan, located roughly 1,000 kilometers away. According to the Fars news agency and the pro-government broadcaster Press TV, there were multiple detonations overnight on Kish Island in the Persian Gulf.

Tanker attack on the UAE and one death

Previously, according to the United Arab Emirates, Iran had attacked two tankers belonging to the Gulf state, which is allied with the US, in the Strait of Hormuz. As the Emirati Ministry of Defense announced overnight on the platform X, the ships were hit by two cruise missiles while transiting the southern shipping route within Omani territorial waters. The attack constituted a „schwerwiegenden Verstoß und klaren Bruch des Völkerrechts,“ the Ministry of Defense stated.

The UAE reserved the right to respond to this escalation. One crew member was killed, the Ministry of Defense said. In addition, there were eight injured, four of them seriously. The injured were six Indian and two Ukrainian nationals. Fires also broke out on both tankers but were eventually brought under control.

There was no immediate response from Tehran to the new wave of US strikes. The latest developments were indeed escalating, but remained „deutlich unterhalb eines offenen Kriegszustands,“ assessed Saul Kavonic, senior energy analyst at MST Marquee, to the Bloomberg news agency.

The conflict is also leaving its mark on energy markets. „Der Angebotsanstieg ist real,“ wrote Tiago Lacerda, market analyst at broker Axi, in an email to CNBC. He pointed to strong inventories at sea after Iran had shipped more than 40 million barrels since the lifting of the US naval blockade.

Impact on the oil market and China's energy policy

China is traditionally the largest buyer of Iranian oil, but since the war began at the end of February, Chinese crude oil imports overall have been declining. In May, according to the data service Wind Information, they plunged 29 percent year-on-year to 7.82 million barrels per day, the lowest level since February 2018. According to a report by United Overseas Bank, this is part of an ongoing plan to fully reverse previous production cuts. Since the start of the war, quotas had thereby already been raised by a total of 940,000 barrels per day. An increase of 188,000 barrels per day was decided for August.

At the same time, Russian exports have also risen to record levels in parallel. According to a report by the Stockholm-based Institute for Security and Development Policy, the Middle East conflict has sharpened China's focus on its own energy transition and further accelerated its expansion of renewable energies. According to the report, Chinese Premier Li Qiang reiterated the commitment to advancing the expansion of non-fossil energies and building a new energy system, combined with more innovation and faster reforms.

imports from Iran fell in June compared to the previous month by more than half to around 654,000 barrels per day, according to Bloomberg. said on CNBC's program „Squawk Box Asia“ that the Chinese were generally showing little appetite to buy at present, regardless of the supplier. This news was broadcast on 14.07.2026 on Deutschlandfunk. A return to a full ceasefire is currently not in sight, as both sides continue their respective military operations.