Iran-US Tensions Escalate as Hormuz Attacks Surge

President Donald Trump says Washington will decide its next move on Iran “very soon,” while saying U.S. strikes would not resume before the November 3 midterm elections and that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is his priority. The warnings come amid escalating attacks around the Strait of Hormuz: reports say 24 ships have been attacked in two weeks and oil exports have fallen to less than half their pre-war flow; Iran is reportedly using new tactics against shipping, while Washington says it and regional partners control the strait. Iran is reinforcing nuclear sites and other defenses and has warned that renewed U.S. strikes could prompt attacks on U.S. forces, Saudi oil facilities and regional infrastructure, or incursions into neighboring countries. Houthi missile and drone attacks have also repeatedly targeted Saudi Arabia, disrupting airport operations and causing deaths and injuries, while earlier reports identified Dammam’s airport and the East-West oil pipeline as targets. Reports of Iranian efforts to prepare the public for possible renewed fighting underscore the risk of a wider conflict; Britain has also accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard of directing a suspected plot against an air force base, an allegation Tehran denies.