The war between the United States and Iran entered a new and wider phase this week, as both sides launched fresh missile barrages and the fighting spread beyond Iran's borders to touch Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the shipping lanes that carry much of the world's oil.

The United States conducted new airstrikes inside Iran, with smoke reported rising over the country's south. Iran responded with a missile strike that, by American accounts, wounded U.S. troops. The exchange marked the latest escalation in a conflict now in its fifth month and, by the reckoning of Al Jazeera's running count, its 19th day of a second phase.

President Trump, responding to what he described as a surprise Iranian strike, said the United States would "beat the f------ s--- out of them." The remark was reported by Fox News.

The war's reach extended well beyond the two principal combatants. Egypt confirmed that a drone caused a fire aboard two gas vessels at the port of Damietta, an event described as the country's first drone attack of the conflict. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, joined U.S. military strikes on Iranian proxies. Yemen's Houthis have been attacking Saudi Arabia from positions inside Iraq, a pattern that illustrates how the fighting has drawn in armed groups across the region.

At the center of the deadlock lies the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage through which a large share of the world's oil flows. Disputes over the strait could keep the war going for months, Bloomberg reported. The disruption has rippled through energy markets, and both Vox and Axios examined the growing difficulty of moving oil out of the Middle East, with Axios noting China's role in shaping the price of crude.

In Washington, the conflict has stirred political friction. Democrats have demanded answers about the treatment of U.S. troops wounded in the Iranian strike. Separately, the Pentagon, under President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has tightened its control over information about the war, limiting what reaches the public.

Questions have also emerged over outside involvement. The Daily Caller News Foundation raised the possibility of Chinese assistance to Iran's defenses against U.S. air power, a claim that remains contested, and separately questioned what U.S. interests are served by the deepening engagement. The Atlantic, in its own examination, described internal strains within Iran itself as the war grinds on.

Both governments have continued their strikes, and the front has widened. No path to a settlement has been announced.

References

1. 1.Al Jazeera — running count of the conflict's timeline and phases
2. 2.Fox News — President Trump's remark on responding to the Iranian strike
3. 3.Egyptian officials — drone-caused fire aboard two gas vessels at Damietta
4. 4.Reuters — Houthis attacking Saudi Arabia from positions inside Iraq
5. 5.Bloomberg — disputes over the Strait of Hormuz potentially prolonging the war
6. 6.Vox and Axios — difficulty of moving oil out of the Middle East; China's role in crude prices
7. 7.The Hill — Pentagon tightening control over war information under Trump and Hegseth
8. 8.The Daily Caller News Foundation — possibility of Chinese assistance to Iran and questions over U.S. interests
9. 9.The Atlantic — internal strains within Iran