According to reporting by China Daily, tensions in the Middle East have intensified amid reports that the United States is weighing resumed combat operations and potential troop deployments toward Iran. US news outlet Axios reported that senior White House officials held a private security meeting at Camp David, Maryland, to formulate strategies regarding the Iran conflict, though the White House declined to comment. On Saturday, Donald Trump told reporters that Iran had been "decimated" and stated that a decision would be made regarding next steps.
The report stated that Iran has maintained a shipping blockade across the Strait of Hormuz since late February, while US forces have enforced a counter-blockade against Iranian ports. A third US aircraft carrier is heading to the region, bringing the expected US deployment to three aircraft carriers and two amphibious groups around Iran by November. Iran's Mehr News Agency reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned of retaliation exceeding its 2024 Operation True Promise II, while the Fars News Agency stated the IRGC navy targeted at least seven violating tankers in the Strait of Hormuz over five days, resulting in two vessel explosions.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that Washington had submitted proposals through a mediator following Tehran's seven-day reopening roadmap, but maintained that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until seven conditions under the Islamabad Memorandum are met. Meanwhile, regional fighting broadened as Yemeni government forces reported conducting 97 strikes against Houthi positions, and Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea claimed ballistic missile and drone attacks on Saudi Aramco energy facilities in Riyadh and Khurais.
Sources
- global.chinadaily.com.cn · 2026-10-04
