A statement from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said, "The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one" after the United States reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports on July 14, AP reported on July 15. The statement came after additional U.S.-Iran clashes, including U.S. attacks that widened in geographic scope, reportedly including attacks against military targets in Shiraz, as well as Iranian retaliation against U.S. military sites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

One of the U.S. attacks targeted Iranian military barracks, resulting in the deaths of at least seven Iranian soldiers. A spokesperson for the Iranian Health Ministry said over 260 Iranians had been injured in the overnight U.S. attacks, though he did not provide a death toll. On July 14, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened more expansive attacks against Iranian infrastructure — including bridges and power plants — if Iran did not return to the negotiating table to reach a deal more favorable for the Americans. The same day, U.S. Senate Democrats blocked the $1.5 trillion National Defense Authorization Act in protest of Trump's handling of the Iran conflict, a sign of growing domestic disapproval of the war.