Andrew England and Najmeh BozorgmehrUpdated Jul 13, 2026 – 7.05am, first published at 7.04amLondon/Tehran | After a week of escalating clashes with the US, Iran has taken a high-stakes gamble by playing what it believes is its key card: announcing it had closed the Strait of Hormuz in an attempt to pressure President Donald Trump to bend to its will and allow it to retain control over the vital waterway.At the same time, it has launched its biggest wave of missiles and drones in weeks at US-aligned Arab states, targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar and Oman.Financial TimesSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles