Overview
- In a primetime address Wednesday night, President Trump said U.S. and Israeli forces have nearly met their goals and warned of "extremely hard" strikes over the next two to three weeks.
- Brent crude rose by as much as five percent to about $106 per barrel after the speech, reflecting fears that blocked traffic through the Strait of Hormuz will persist.
- Multiple U.S. intelligence agencies assess Iran is not ready for substantive talks, and Tehran's Foreign Ministry rejected claims it asked Washington for a ceasefire.
- CNN reported that roughly half of Iran's missile launchers remain and drone stocks are large, despite weeks of strikes that U.S. officials say hit more than 12,300 targets.
- Iran continued rocket and drone attacks on Israel and Gulf infrastructure, with new strikes reported in the United Arab Emirates and at Kuwait’s Mina al-Ahmadi refinery.