U.S. Expands Air Campaign to Tehran as Iran Targets Mediator Qatar

The conflict between the United States and Iran has escalated significantly over the last 24 hours, with U.S. airstrikes expanding beyond coastal targets to the vicinity of the Iranian capital, Tehran. CENTCOM reported hitting dozens of infrastructure targets, including bridges in Hormozgan province and the Iranshahr airport. Concurrently, U.S. maritime forces boarded and assumed control of an Iranian vessel, signaling an active interdiction phase of the renewed naval blockade. In a major diplomatic shift, Qatar—the primary mediator between the two nations—has been directly targeted by Iranian missile barrages. Qatari authorities issued emergency warnings to citizens to seek shelter as air defenses intercepted incoming threats. This development follows the collapse of an interim ceasefire, with Tehran blaming U.S. aggression for the breakdown of diplomatic channels. Despite the violence, President Trump has indicated he remains open to a diplomatic resolution, though his administration maintains a policy of dismantling Iranian infrastructure to force a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Regional retaliation has broadened the scope of the war. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed strikes on a U.S. airbase in Jordan and various installations in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Syria. Attacks in Oman specifically targeted maritime surveillance radars. In Iran, state television confirmed at least seven fatalities resulting from strikes on the Bandar-e Khamir bridge, with further reports of damage to railway stations and residential zones in Bandar Abbas.