Iran would strike US forces even on its own islands, army says

The long-running conservative Ettelaat newspaper said on Tuesday that simultaneously closing the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb would hurt Iran in the long term.

The newspaper said such closures could provide Iran with short-term leverage but would not offer a sustainable advantage.

It added that the global economy might withstand several weeks of severe disruption, but a crisis lasting months would intensify economic pressure and greatly increase the likelihood of broad intervention by major powers.

Israeli intelligence assessed that Iran moved thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges into tunnels deep inside Pickaxe Mountain last fall, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Israeli and US officials.

Israel shared the intelligence with the United States, saying the centrifuges were transferred after US and Israeli strikes targeted Iran’s three main nuclear sites during the June 2025 war.

Moving centrifuges to the site would not necessarily mean Iran was establishing an enrichment facility there and Tehran may have stored surviving equipment underground to protect it from attacks, according to the report.

Oil prices edged lower on Tuesday as markets weighed reports of renewed mediation efforts between the United States and Iran against continued military exchanges and Houthi threats to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia.

Brent crude futures fell 35 cents, or 0.4%, to $88.87 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was little changed at $82.47.

Both contracts remained below the more than one-month highs reached in the previous session.

Qatar and Pakistan have launched a joint effort to revive Iran-US diplomacy as military exchanges entered their ninth day, while Tehran confirmed receiving new mediation proposals even as hardliners continued to oppose negotiations.

Pakistan and Qatar urged Tehran and Washington on Monday to halt hostilities and resume implementation of a previously signed memorandum of understanding.

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni traveled to Islamabad on Monday carrying a message from President Masoud Pezeshkian as part of the mediation effort. Regional media reported he was also expected to meet Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir.

According to Israel's Channel 14, Qatar proposed that the United States suspend further military strikes while Iran reopens both the northern and southern shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz for a 10-day period.

Read the full article here.

The US State Department has urged American citizens worldwide to "exercise increased caution" as the conflict with Iran continues, warning that the security environment remains volatile and could escalate unexpectedly.

In a global travel alert issued Monday, the department advised Americans in the Middle East to prepare for possible flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures and other travel disruptions.

It also urged Americans outside the region to reconsider travel to and through the Middle East, warning of an increased risk of attacks targeting US diplomatic facilities and locations associated with the United States and American citizens around the world.