US President Donald Trump said in a telephone interview with Fox News that the United States is "taking control" of the Strait of Hormuz and that, this time, it will be paid for doing so, after protecting the waterway for 50 years without compensation. "We will be the guardians of the strait, and this time we will be paid," he said.
Trump also revealed that Sunday's negotiations with the Iranian side lasted 11 hours but that, after what appeared to be an agreement, Iran sought further changes. "We agreed on everything and then they call again and say, 'We had to make a few changes,'" he said.
For his part, Katam al-Anbiya headquarters spokesperson said Iran would not allow US involvement in managing the strait. "We do not allow and will not allow the United States to interfere in the management of the strait," he said, adding that any cooperation with Washington would be regarded as "a war against Iran's sovereignty."
Drone attacks and casualties
Off the coast of Oman, an attack by Iranian drones on a commercial vessel, marked by powerful explosions and fire in the ship's superstructure, triggered a new round of US strikes against Iranian facilities.
Inside Iran, a US strike on a military base in Naein, in Isfahan province, killed one person and injured seven others.
Earlier, another attack on an agricultural pumping station in Mahshahr left one person dead and four injured.
Strong explosions were also reported near Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm Island.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei warned: "Whenever the other side failed to fulfil its obligations, we also stopped implementing ours. That is how we will continue to act."
He also said Tehran would use "all legal and international means" to seek justice for the killing of Ali Khamenei.
Negotiations, he added, are continuing, although US pressure in Oman over the Strait of Hormuz is making it more difficult to establish a joint mechanism for managing the waterway.
Escalation in Yemen
Tensions also spread to Yemen after Sanaa Airport, controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis, was hit by an air strike on its runway intended to prevent the arrival of an Iranian aircraft.
Residents reported repeated explosions and warplanes flying at low altitude over the capital.
The Defence Ministry of Yemen's internationally recognised government claimed responsibility, warning that its "patience had run out" and that it would respond to violations of Yemeni airspace by Iran and the Houthis, whom it accused of using such flights to transport Iranian military personnel.
The Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for the attack, describing it as "blatant and unjustified" and warning that it "will not go unanswered or unpunished."
Riyadh denied any involvement.
Meanwhile, Yemen's Information Minister accused the Houthis of preventing a Red Cross aircraft from leaving the airport and of holding its pilot and co-pilot there.
Yemen's civil aviation authority has temporarily closed all airports in the country until further notice.
Kuwait and the markets
In the Gulf, a drone struck an offshore platform operated by the Kuwait Oil Company near Shuwaikh port on 12 July, injuring one worker and causing material damage.
Maritime security firm EOS Marine urged commercial vessels to maintain heightened vigilance around the clock and recommended full use of radar and electronic monitoring systems.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks in recent months targeting energy infrastructure and shipping across the region, from the Gulf of Oman to the coast of Kuwait.
The escalation has also affected global markets.
Oil prices rose again despite a post by Trump on Truth Social claiming a 59% approval rating and falling energy prices.
Independent polls place his approval rating closer to 37-40%, while data from the American Automobile Association indicate that average gasoline prices in the United States have risen to $3.87 per gallon, up 30% since February.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which had begun to recover during the June ceasefire, has once again fallen sharply as companies avoid not only the main route but also alternative southern passages near the coast of Oman.
