Manila: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a sharp rebuttal to Tehran on July 23, escalating the war of words a day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi vowed an "eye for an eye" response to President Trump's threat to bomb Iranian infrastructure over attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. "The president's policy is a head for an eye," Rubio told reporters on the sidelines of Association of South Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings in Manila. "They will pay a very heavy price for the things they're doing. They're already paying a very heavy price."
According to Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, Rubio's comments came as the conflict expanded on multiple fronts overnight. Iran's army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have said they struck multiple US bases in Kuwait in response to fresh American strikes on Iranian targets following a 12th consecutive night of US bombing. The IRGC claimed attacks on Ali Al Salem air base, Camp Udairi, and a telecommunications tower, while Iran's army said it hit Camp Doha, Ali Al Salem and Camp Arifjan, state television reported.
Kuwait's military stated it intercepted "drone threats" after several days of Iranian strikes on the Gulf Arab state. Jordan's Army reported intercepting three missiles early on July 23, with a fourth falling harmlessly in an uninhabited area. The escalation came alongside a new front as Saudi state media announced a Saudi-flagged vessel was struck in the Red Sea after Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed missile and drone strikes on two Saudi tankers, the Encelia and the Layla.
The Houthis earlier threatened to blockade Saudi Red Sea ports and disrupt transit through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a move with potential to compound the fallout from the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump had already signaled how Washington might respond to a Saudi blockade. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump was asked about the Houthi threat, saying, "If something like that happens, we take care of it." He pointed to Washington's earlier air campaign against the group as a template, noting the Houthis had remained quiet since the extensive US strikes between March and May 2025.
In Hormuz, the IRGC reported turning back three oil tankers, warning that any vessel transiting without coordination with Tehran "will suffer the same fate," directly challenging President Donald Trump, who said the US would bomb an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Iran fired on a ship in the strait.
The Iranian attack on US bases followed US Central Command (CENTCOM) strikes overnight targeting Iranian maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage, coastal surveillance sites, and air defenses, aiming to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping. The command said it had redirected nine commercial vessels and disabled another since resuming its blockade of Iranian ports. Iranian state media reported US strikes killed two people at Shalamcheh, on the Iraq border, and hit Bushehr, home to Iran's only civilian nuclear plant.
The costs of war have mounted on both sides. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reported the conflict had cost the United States $37.5 billion, up from roughly $29 billion in mid-May. Trump, speaking on July 22, expressed doubt that Iran was ready for a deal, arguing Tehran repeatedly sought to renegotiate any compromise. "They're not ready. They'll be ready very soon," he said. A cease-fire reached in mid-June has effectively collapsed.
The Wall Street Journal reported that additional US troops, medics, and weaponry have been deployed to the region. Meanwhile, Jordan stated it shot down four missiles and four drones overnight, and air-raid sirens sounded in Bahrain. Since the resumption of fighting, four US service members have been killed: three in an Iranian strike on a base in Jordan and one during the detonation of an unexploded Iranian drone in Iraq.
In Manila, Rubio also addressed reports that Moscow was aiding Iran in targeting US forces, following his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the ASEAN gathering. He declined to discuss intelligence matters, noting that Iran had spent years building its missile and drone capabilities independently. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to directly address the matter when questioned by journalists.