Iran war: U.S. deny tweet about tanker escort — Trump warns Iran against mining the Strait of Hormuz — live updates
Key Takeaways
- White House denied energy minister's tweet claiming U.S. Navy escorted an oil tanker through Hormuz
- Trump warned Iran against mining the Strait of Hormuz
- Israel and the U.S. have been attacking Iran for more than a week
Conflict overview
Israel and the U.S. have been attacking Iran for more than a week.
After the killing of the spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Chamenei, his son, Modschtaba Chamenei, was chosen as successor.
Since the start of the war, Iran has been firing drones and rockets at Israel and the Gulf states.
A second front has opened up between Israel and the Lebanon-based terrorist militia Hezbollah.
Some details cannot be independently verified.
Tanker and mines
Confusion erupted over whether the U.S. Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz: U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright posted on X about a "successful" escort and deleted the post, but White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the U.S. Navy has "so far not escorted any tanker or other vessel."
President Trump warned Iran against mining the Strait of Hormuz, writing on Truth Social that "If for any reason mines have been laid and are not removed immediately, the military consequences for Iran will reach a magnitude never seen before," and he wrote elsewhere that "we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!"
U.S. intelligence agencies are reportedly seeing signs that Iran is preparing to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz, CBS News journalists reported, though the X report has not been confirmed.
Trump also said the U.S. military has neutralized ten inactive Iranian mine-laying boats and that the boats were "completely destroyed."
Chris Wright's deleted post temporarily sent oil prices tumbling: Brent fell 15.03 percent to $84.09 and U.S. grade WTI lost 15.46 percent and traded temporarily at $80.12.
Military actions and casualties
Explosions were heard in Tehran multiple times on Tuesday, AFP journalists reported, with detonations heard in the north and west of the city.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said at a Pentagon press conference that the day would be "the most intense day of our strikes in Iran," adding it would involve "the largest number of fighter jets, bombers and airstrikes."
The Pentagon said about 140 U.S. soldiers have been injured since the start of the war, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, noting 108 have returned to duty, eight were seriously injured, and seven U.S. soldiers have been killed in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
The British warship HMS Dragon is sailing toward the eastern Mediterranean.
The Al-Asrak deployment site in Jordan was struck by rockets again and the German section of the camp was also hit, and it is being investigated whether debris or an incoming rocket was responsible.
Shortly before Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul's departure after a surprise short visit to Israel, a rocket alert forced him and those accompanying him to leave a Bundeswehr transport plane at Ben Gurion International Airport and run to a shelter; when reboarding Wadephul said, "All well here!" and gave a thumbs up.
Political reactions and impacts
According to Axios, the U.S. government is asking Israel to halt attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure, a request reportedly conveyed at a high political level including to Israel's Chief of Staff Ejal Samir, because the U.S. wants to cooperate with Iran's oil sector after the war and fears attacks could harm the Iranian population and trigger massive retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure in the Gulf states.
The World Health Organization said dozens of clinics, ambulances and other medical facilities have been attacked since the start of the war, documenting 18 attacks in Iran and 23 in Lebanon, and WHO regional head Hanan Balkhy told the AP that at least 22 health workers have been killed and that after renewed fighting between Israel and Hezbollah there were 12 deaths and 26 injuries among health workers in Lebanon alone.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf threatened proportionate and immediate retaliation for attacks on Iran's infrastructure, saying the enemy should know "that everything it does will undoubtedly bring about a proportionate and immediate response" and that "we act today by the principle of 'an eye for an eye,' without compromise, without exceptions."
The secretary-general of Iran's National Security Council, Ali Larijani, wrote on X an indirect threat of assassination against President Donald Trump, saying "Be careful that you are not annihilated yourselves," after Trump warned Iran he could hit them "twenty times harder" if it blocked oil deliveries.
The Revolutionary Guard spokesman Ali Mohammed Naeini said they would ensure that Iran would, "for the time being, not export a single liter of oil from the region to the enemy side and its partners," and that trade is subject to security considerations in wartime.
The G7 hesitated on releasing strategic oil reserves and tasked the International Energy Agency with assessing the situation, while the United Kingdom said it is working with allies on options to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel's office said it is "not yet finished" with strikes on Tehran's leadership, saying Israel's aim is to "free the Iranian people from the yoke of tyranny" and that "with the measures so far we are breaking their bones — and we are not finished."
Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Kelly criticized the U.S. approach, saying "They clearly have no strategic objective," and that "They had no plan. They have no timetable. And therefore they have no exit strategy."
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