Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday would bring the heaviest wave of strikes so far, as Gen. Dan Caine reported more than 5,000 targets hit, over 50 Iranian naval vessels sunk, and sharp drops in Iran’s missile and drone launch rates.
- Iran continued missile and drone salvos across the Gulf and at Israel, with the UAE reporting nine drones and two deaths, Bahrain reporting one dead and eight wounded, and Saudi Arabia and Kuwait intercepting multiple drones.
- A video released by Iran’s Mehr News and geolocated by Bellingcat appears to show a Tomahawk strike near the girls’ school in Minab; the United States and Israel have not claimed responsibility and the Pentagon says it is investigating.
- Threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have thinned traffic and jolted markets, with oil briefly nearing $120 before retreating toward $90 as the U.S. and allies discuss or prepare escort missions.
- Iran’s Assembly of Experts named Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader, reinforcing a hard-line course as war deaths rise, including at least seven U.S. service members and casualties reported in Iran, Lebanon and Israel.