Iran said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed “in the long term” to American and Israeli ships after President Donald Trump said the US military would step up airstrikes in the coming weeks.

Trump urged Tehran to “make a deal before it is too late,” as Iranian officials remained defiant and denied requesting a ceasefire or engaging in negotiations with the US.

Earlier on Thursday, the US struck Iran’s tallest highway bridge linking Tehran with the western city of Karaj, rendering it inoperable. On the same day, an Iranian ballistic missile struck the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva, damaging several buildings.

Gulf countries are considering building oil and gas pipelines that bypass the Strait of Hormuz as they face the prospect of the chokepoint falling under full Iranian control, the Financial Times reports.

The outlet added, however, that it “would be expensive, politically complex and take years to complete.” Iranian officials have said that the strait is open to everyone except the “aggressor” states and their supporters, amid reports of Tehran seeking to introduce vetting procedures for ships passing through the waterway. 

The US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has left the Croatian port of Split after a stop for repairs and resupply.

Here are the latest developments:   

• Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said strikes on civilian infrastructure, including bridges, will not force Iranians to surrender, calling them a sign of “defeat and moral collapse.”

• The IDF has claimed having killed Makram Atimi, identified as the commander of an Iranian ballistic missile unit, and several other Iranian battalion commanders in separate strikes. 

• Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed the Middle East crisis in a phone call, expressing concern over civilian casualties and damage to key infrastructure. 

• Trump urged countries that rely on oil from the Middle East to buy it from the US instead or to unblock the Strait of Hormuz by force. 

• In an open letter to the American people, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described the strikes on US bases in the region as “a measured response grounded in legitimate self-defense,” and argued that the US had entered the war as “a proxy for Israel.”