US-Iran war news Highlights: ‘Head for an eye’ — Marco Rubio warns Iran will pay ‘very heavy price’

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran would continue to face a “very heavy price” for its actions.

Rubio said President Donald Trump’s response to Iran was stronger than Tehran’s stated “eye for an eye” policy.

“The President’s policy is ‘a head for an eye.’ They will pay a very heavy price for the things they’re doing,” he said.

Speaking in Manila, Rubio said Washington would keep pressure on Iran until its leadership was ready to agree to a deal.

US President Donald Trump told Axios he is seriously considering restarting major combat operations against Iran.

Trump said is weighing strikes that could be bigger than those carried out during “Operation Epic Fury,” Axios reported.

“They haven’t received enough pain yet,” Axios quoted Trump as saying.

The Republican-led US House of Representatives passed a war powers resolution directing President Donald Trump to halt US military action against Iran unless Congress authorizes it.

The resolution passed by a 214-208 vote, with four Republicans joining Democrats.

The measure was introduced by Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington.

It directs Trump to remove US armed forces from hostilities against Iran without congressional approval.

The resolution is largely symbolic and is not expected to immediately stop military operations.

Similar war powers resolutions have been passed in recent months but have not resulted in an end to the conflict.

ECB President Christine Lagarde described the Houthi attack on a Saudi vessel in the Red Sea as "alarming."

Lagarde said the European Central Bank is closely monitoring the inflationary impact of the ongoing Iran war.

She noted that the attack occurred too late to influence the ECB's interest rate decision announced on Thursday.

However, she said the incident is already affecting global oil markets.

"It is having an impact — we can see that on the price of Brent as it evolves almost by the hour," Lagarde told reporters.

Brent crude prices surged after the Houthi attack, reflecting heightened concerns over Middle East supply disruptions.

Brent crude surged to $100 a barrel for the first time in two months after Iran-backed Houthi militants claimed attacks on two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea.

The Houthi strikes escalated tensions in the Middle East, raising fears of further disruptions to global oil supplies.

The attacks opened a new front in the regional conflict, which had already disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Iran war.

US President Donald Trump described the Houthis as “a surrogate and/or proxy of Iran”, warning that Washington would hold Iran “responsible” for any attacks carried out in the region.

Trump also said the US had struck the Houthis “very powerfully” about a year ago and claimed that the group has “acted very responsibly” since then.

"Unfortunately, now they are starting up again, shooting at two Saudi Arabian ships last night,” the president said.

He added, “If they do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis themselves…”

Indian airlines have cancelled around 26,000 international flights till July 20 besides flight diversions and delays due to airspace restrictions in the wake of the US-Iran conflict, according to the government.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Thursday told the Lok Sabha that airlines are incurring significant revenue losses due to the ongoing crisis and are taking measures to mitigate the impact while ensuring continuity of operations.

The conflict, which started in late February, has significantly impacted the airline industry, which is grappling with high fuel costs and airspace curbs in the West Asia region.

"The US-Iran conflict has significantly disrupted international flight operations due to airspace restrictions leading to widespread cancellations (approx. 26,000 flights by Indian carriers till 20 July 2026), along with considerable diversions and delays across airlines and airports," Mohol said in a written reply.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued multiple advisories to ensure the safety of passengers, crew, and aircraft evolving from the risks arising from the West Asia conflict.

"As informed by Indian carriers, re-routing of flights has led to increased flight durations and higher fuel consumption, resulting in additional operational costs for airlines. The extent of such costs depends on route diversion, duration and prevailing fuel prices.

"Further, as informed, airlines are incurring significant revenue losses due to the ongoing crisis. Airlines are, however, taking necessary measures to mitigate the impact while ensuring continuity of operations," the minister said.

Mohol was responding to queries from Congress member Anto Antony.

– PTI

Britain said on Friday it had withdrawn remaining diplomatic staff from Iran as the conflict between Iran and the United States escalates.

"Due to the security situation, UK staff have been temporarily withdrawn from Iran. Our embassy continues to operate remotely," the Foreign Office said on its website.

Britain in June withdrew its embassy staff from Iran, following in the footsteps of other European nations as well as Australia and New Zealand.

The withdrawals came after Israel launched renewed air strikes on Iran claiming its arch enemy was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.

The Foreign Office (FCDO) declined to say how many staff had been withdrawn, after a similar move in February.

– AFP

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused the US administration of pursuing policies that undermine international humanitarian law and ethical principles, alleging that it “intends to sacrifice whatever remains of international humanitarian law and the foundations of human ethics and civilisation to its insatiable appetite for war and slaughter”.

As per Al Jazeera, the spokesperson further claimed that Washington follows “a policy that calls for the destruction of bridges and power plants, which is manifestly unlawful and criminal”.

He added that “It constitutes reprisal and collective punishment – both of which are explicitly prohibited as war crimes under international humanitarian law.”

Iran vowed on Thursday to keep striking the region so long as it remains under attack, as the Middle East war spread to new fronts with Tehran's Houthi allies attacking Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.

The war resumed following a ceasefire that lasted just a few weeks, throwing the region and global energy markets back into chaos as Iran and the United States battle for control of the vital Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis this week joined the conflict, claiming to have struck two Saudi oil tankers after declaring a blockade of Saudi ports.

Meanwhile, Jordan and Kuwait both reported intercepting strikes as Iran's military and Revolutionary Guards claimed to be targeting US assets in both countries.

"The armed forces' retaliatory attacks will continue as long as the US attacks on the country's infrastructure and coastal areas continue," Iran's army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said, according to state TV.

– AFP

Hostile aircraft sirens were activated across Bahrain once again on Thursday, as per Al Jazeera.

The Ministry of the Interior urged citizens and residents to remain calm and “head to the nearest safe location”.

“The price on Iran will get higher every night until they come to their senses,” Marco Rubio stated, reported Al Jazeera.

He also mentioned on the situation in Yemen, noting that he hopes the Houthis will de-escalate. “They got snookered by Iran," he said.

The US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Iran “is a country run by radical clerics,” calling them “oblivious” to economic issues, as per Al Jazeera.

“They are destroying their country,” he said, adding: “Iran can be the richest country in the Middle East if they wanted to be.

“But instead they take their money, and they use it and they give it to Hezbollah, they give it to Hamas, they give it to the Houthis. They give it to Shia militias. They give it to sponsored terrorism all over the world.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while speaking at the sidelines of the ASEAN conference in Manila, has claimed that “Iran is begging for a deal.”

“It looks like Iran is not ready to make a deal; they will pay the price,” he added.

“Every time they make a deal, they either break it or change it,” Rubio said further.

Brigadier General Amir Mohammad Akraminia, a spokesperson for Iran’s army, told Defence Press news agency in an interview that Tehran’s forces took “full advantage of the ceasefire opportunity to improve our situation and combat capability.”

“Today, we are better prepared than in the past,” he said

According to Akraminia, the US would be at a greater disadvantage if it launches a ground operation in Iran.

“If the enemy invades via land routes, its vulnerability will certainly be much greater than air and missile attacks,” he said.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had carried out attacks on US military assets in Kuwait and Jordan.

According to an IRGC statement, carried by Press TV, its forces destroyed a THAAD missile defense radar, a Patriot system and a C-RAM radar at a US base in Jordan. It also said that the precision attacks have set fuel storage facilities, a helicopter equipment warehouse and a helicopter maintenance hangar on fire.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Thursday claimed that it has carried out more attacks on US military assets in Kuwait. According to an IRGC statement, it “attacked and destroyed a large warehouse of military equipment, a Patriot missile defence system, and a hangar of American MQ9 drones” at Ali al-Salem airbase.

The IRGC also claimed attacks on US forces’ accommodation and two helicopter hangars at the Al-Adiri barracks, saying the attacks caused casualties and inflicted heavy damage on helicopters and drones.

According to the IRGC, its fighters “targeted a telecommunications tower in response to US attacks on telecommunications towers in Iran”.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that the ongoing efforts by the US to interfere with maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz will result in what it called an “irreparable defeat.”

“End your interventions, which have produced nothing but an energy crisis and a reduction in agricultural fertilizer supplies for the world,” IRGC said in a statement carried by Press TV.

The statement came hours after an oil tanker trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz caught fire, and two others turned back following the explosion.

Two Chinese very large crude carriers carrying a combined 4 million barrels of Saudi Arabian oil were heading toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Thursday, shipping data showed.

Iranian-aligned Houthis who control areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on the opposite end of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz said on Monday they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia. The Yemen-based militants had earlier struck two Saudi oil tankers.