US President Donald Trump said yesterday the renewed US campaign against Iran would not continue for “too long,” after the biggest exchange of fire between Tehran and Washington since July. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said Iran had been trying to build a rocket capable of dropping mines and that US strikes had destroyed it, along with radar and missile systems Tehran was working to restore.
“We took out all of the new equipment that they tried to build along the Strait of Hormuz – some defensive, some offensive ... It was a very heavy attack last night, and we’re prepared to do another one any time we want,” Trump told reporters.
The latest round saw US forces hit air defences, radar, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites on Iran’s southern coast, including targets near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the US military.
Iran said its own strikes targeted US assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq, vowing to drive American forces from bases across the Middle East.
Iran’s military command warned that “American evil in the region will be met with heavier, more widespread, and devastating responses,” and said any country co-operating with the US military must accept “dangerous consequences.”
Iran accused the US of striking a wedding party in Sirik County, killing four people including a 4-year-old and wounding dozens; its health ministry later put the total death toll from the latest US strikes at 18, with 108 injured. Iranian media released images of injured children and scenes of rubble, though Reuters could not independently verify the wedding incident.
US Central Command said it was aware of the reports originating from Iranian state media and reiterated that the US military does not target civilians. US officials also said initial assessments found no American casualties from Iran’s retaliatory strikes, despite Tehran’s claims of killing US forces in Jordan and northern Iraq.
Asian and European stocks fell after the airstrikes, while Wall Street opened higher as investors focused on AI developments. Oil prices edged up in a volatile session, briefly touching levels not seen since July, on concerns about the war’s impact on the global economy.
Washington maintained that the Strait of Hormuz remained open to shipping despite Iranian attacks, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright saying more than 17mn barrels of oil exited on Monday. Iran, however, blacklisted 11 more vessels, bringing to 56 the number of ships it says could face fines, confiscation or detention if they transit without Tehran’s permission.
Trump repeated his assertion that the strategic waterway – which handled 20% of global oil and liquefied gas shipments before the war – was under US control, posting on Truth Social: “Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT???”