The US military has completed its 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iran, targeting aircraft hangars and drone storage sites, as the renewed conflict continues to overshadow diplomatic efforts to salvage an interim ceasefire deal, according to the Guardian. The BBC reported that President Donald Trump’s threat to target a key Iranian nuclear site came ahead of the latest round of attacks, with the Guardian noting he vowed to strike it “very heavily.”

The escalating campaign carries a mounting financial and human toll. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the war in Iran has cost $37.5bn so far, an increase of nearly $8bn since the last public estimate, according to the Guardian. A US official told the Associated Press that the number of wounded US personnel has grown to well more than 500 troops.

Trump’s threat centres on Pickaxe Mountain, an underground Iranian nuclear facility. Tehran claimed there is no nuclear activity at the site threatened by the president, the Guardian reported. The conflict’s effects are already being felt in energy markets, with Brent crude trading up 1.2% at $92.09 a barrel around 0130 GMT, its highest intraday price since 11 June, while West Texas Intermediate climbed 1.1% to $85.23.

Regional tensions extended beyond Iran’s borders. The Jordanian army said it intercepted four Iranian missiles on Wednesday, with two additional missiles falling in “two remote, uninhabited areas, without causing any human casualties or material damage,” according to AFP as reported by the Guardian. Meanwhile, the Houthis threatened attacks on shipping tankers if they use Saudi ports on the Red Sea.

Diplomatic and strategic concerns are also in play. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told South-east Asian foreign ministers that Iranian control of the strait of Hormuz would set a dangerous precedent with repercussions beyond the Middle East, the Guardian reported. Trump separately said he would authorise the resumption of direct flights by US airlines to Lebanon, which have been suspended since the 1985 hijacking of a TWA flight by Lebanese Islamist militants.

In a related development, the Guardian reported that Trump has approved an agreement with Saudi Arabia that could provide the kingdom with uranium enrichment capability for its civilian nuclear programme. The deal, citing people familiar with the matter, is expected to last 30 years, involve US firms and could allow the building of a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia after a joint US-Saudi study.