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Explainer: After nine straight nights of strikes, where is the US-Iran conflict headed?

The US carried out a ninth consecutive night of military strikes against Iran early on Monday, targeting command centres, missile facilities, air defence systems, maritime assets and communications infrastructure. The latest developments indicate the conflict is expanding beyond direct military exchanges, with growing implications for regional security, global energy supplies and international shipping. Here is what to know. Why are the US strikes continuing? President Donald Trump said US forces had struck Iran “very hard,” describing the operations as retaliation for the deaths of US service members in the Middle East. The latest casualty on the US side came in northern Iraq, where a service member was killed during the controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance recovered from a downed Iranian drone. According to American media, at least 17 US soldiers have been killed since Feb 28, when the US and Israel attacked Iran. Strait of Hormuz at the heart of the co...

Iran minister says US, Israeli strikes caused ‘heavy damage’ to water, energy infrastructure

Iran’s critical water and energy infrastructure have suffered extensive damage due to US and Israeli strikes, the country’s energy minister said on Sunday. Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran on February 28, killing the Islamic republic’s supreme leader and sparking a war that has since spread across the Middle East. “The country’s vital water and electricity infrastructure has suffered heavy damage following terrorist and cyber attacks by the United States and the Zionist regime,” said energy minister Abbas Aliabadi, according to ISNA news agency. “The attacks targeted dozens of water transmission and treatment facilities and destroyed parts of critical water supply networks,” he noted, adding that efforts were underway to repair the damage. Read More: Iran's president says immediate cessation of US-Israeli aggression needed to end war Earlier on Sunday, US President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran’s power plants if it failed to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours. Traffic through the vital strait – through which 20 percent of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes – has been brought to a near-standstill since the start of the war. Iranian forces have attacked multiple vessels, saying they failed to heed “warnings” against transiting the waterway. In recent days, Iran has allowed some vessels from countries it considers friendly to pass, while warning it would block ships from countries it says have joined the “aggression” against it. In response to Trump, Iran threatened to target energy infrastructure and desalination plants across the region. On Feb 28, 2026, US and Israel preemptively attack on Iran. Iran fired drones and missiles on Isreal and US military basis and installations in UAE, Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries.  Tehran also disrupted oil tankers at the Strait of Hormuz, an energy artery responsible for 20 per cent oil and gas flow from Gulf to other parts of the world.  The closure of Hormuz causing a near standstill in commercial shipping and a surge in energy prices worldwide. It has also signalled plans to impose tolls or restrictions on vessels transiting the strait, leveraging its strategic position amid the conflict. The disruption has heightened fears of a prolonged energy shock and broader regional instability, with global powers weighing military and diplomatic options to restore access to the key waterway.  

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