Escalating US‑Iran Conflict Threatens Strait of Hormuz Shipping

U.S. officials warned Iran that any attack on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz would be met with strikes on Iranian bridges or power plants, a threat repeated by President Donald Trump on social media. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said the southern route of the strait has been mined and vowed “eye‑for‑an‑eye” retaliation.

The United States’ Central Command reported a twelfth consecutive night of airstrikes on Iranian military sites, hitting command centres, drone depots and missile launchers and causing at least two Iranian deaths and eleven injuries. Iran answered with attacks on U.S. bases in Jordan and elsewhere in the region, and promised to hit Iranian‑linked oil and gas infrastructure across the Middle East.

U.S. forces have bolstered their Middle‑East presence, redeploying F‑35 and F‑16 fighters, special‑operations units and B‑1 bombers, while medical teams treat wounded personnel. A separate report alleged the Pentagon concealed dozens of U.S. casualties from recent Iranian attacks. The heightened brinkmanship has raised concerns over the security of global oil shipments through the strategic strait.