US and Iran Pause Military Strikes as Tensions in Region Escalate
The US and Iran have paused their military strikes against each other after two weeks of escalating tensions in the region. According to Iranian state-affiliated media, an oil tanker exploded in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday after striking a naval mine, but no details about the vessel were immediately available.
The US Central Command said its blockade of Iran remains in full effect, with 12 commercial vessels redirected, two disabled and two boarded as of July 25. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that its navy had consolidated complete control over the Strait of Hormuz, saying no vessel can now pass without accepting Iranian-imposed rules.
Iran's Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine on Saturday of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, saying an explosion killed one sailor and wounded another. The Pentagon removed four US soldiers killed during the recent fighting with Iran from its official Iran war casualty count, instead listing them under a newly created 'Overseas Operations' category.