Iran War Set to Escalates as U.S. Senate Backs Trump Campaign, Tehran Claims Tanker Attack While Israel Expands Strikes
The U.S. Senate on Thursday rejected a resolution that sought to force congressional approval before any further American military action against Iran, and delivered an early show of political backing for President Donald Trump’s expanding war campaign alongside Israel. The measure failed by a vote of 47–53 in the Republican-controlled chamber, and showed the difficulty faced by lawmakers attempting to limit the administration’s authority as the conflict continues to intensify across the Middle East.
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| Representational Image Via: Iran_Gov on X |
The fighting itself continued to expand on multiple fronts. Israel’s military said it had begun a “large-scale wave of strikes” targeting infrastructure in Iran’s capital, Tehran, this marks one of the most significant bombardments of the city since the joint U.S.–Israeli campaign began.
Iran meanwhile claimed responsibility for an attack on an American oil tanker in the northern Persian Gulf. A statement carried by Iranian state television said the strike was carried out by the Revolutionary Guard, though it did not provide details.
The claim appeared to coincide with an earlier maritime security alert from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre, which reported a tanker had been targeted off the coast of Kuwait.
The conflict’s rhetoric has also intensified. Iranian state television broadcast a message from senior cleric Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli calling for violence against Israelis and against Trump personally, a rare public statement from a senior religious figure during the war.
“We are now on the verge of a great test,” the ayatollah said, urging unity among Iranians before declaring that “the shedding of Zionist blood, the shedding of Trump’s blood” was justified in the struggle against what he described as oppressive forces.
Iranian officials have also reacted sharply to the sinking of the Iranian naval frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka, an incident Tehran says killed dozens of sailors.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed the loss of the vessel and warned that Washington would “bitterly regret the precedent it has set” after the U.S. submarine strike on what he described as a ship sailing in international waters.
Inside Iran, the humanitarian toll from the bombardment is mounting. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said the U.S.–Israeli campaign has struck 174 cities and more than 630 locations nationwide, recording over 1,300 separate attacks so far.
According to the organisation, residential areas, medical facilities and humanitarian infrastructure have been damaged, including several Red Crescent bases and rescue vehicles.
Despite the continued fighting, Israel has begun cautiously reopening its airspace after keeping it closed since the war began. Under a phased plan announced Thursday, one incoming passenger flight per hour will be permitted during the first day, allowing roughly 5,000 people to enter the country while outbound commercial flights remain suspended.
Across the wider region, governments and airlines are scrambling to manage the disruption to travel. Oman said it is coordinating with foreign governments and international carriers to help evacuate stranded travellers from the Gulf. Qatar Airways also announced a limited schedule of “relief flights” from Muscat and Riyadh to several European cities including London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Madrid.
The ripple effects are being felt far beyond the Middle East. Indonesian immigration authorities in Bali have granted emergency stay permits to thousands of travellers after flights to Gulf hubs such as Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi were cancelled following airspace closures.