Overview
- U.S. Central Command reported new air, drone and naval strikes and the reimposition of a naval blockade, an operation that U.S. officials say included a seven‑hour assault on coastal defenses and missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz.
- The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the strait will remain closed until U.S. attacks stop and Iran has claimed retaliatory strikes and drone launches against U.S. positions and allied states in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
- President Donald Trump publicly asserted U.S. control of the strait and warned he could target Iranian civilian infrastructure, saying power plants and bridges could be hit if Tehran refuses to negotiate.
- Iranian authorities reported military and civilian casualties and hospitals treating hundreds of wounded, while shipping and insurance costs rose and Brent crude climbed on fears of sustained disruptions to a route that carries about a fifth of global seaborne oil.
- Analysts warn the fight centers on Iran’s asymmetric coastal defenses and mines that can menace merchant traffic, and they say the U.S. campaign to degrade those systems risks wider escalation, legal scrutiny over strikes on dual‑use targets and further strain on energy markets.