Iran’s attacks on regional oil infrastructure and pledges to choke off maritime traffic left markets on edge as the United States promised blistering new strikes. The war entered its 11th day with no end in sight as its effects rippled across the Middle East and beyond.
Both sides sharpened their rhetoric as they dug in on Tuesday (local time), with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth again promising the most intense strikes yet, while Iran's leaders ruled out talks and directly threatened US President Donald Trump.
Iran launched new attacks Israel and Gulf Arab countries, and Israel — America's key ally in the fight — launched more airstrikes on Tehran and in Lebanon, where it is battling Hezbollah militants.
Residents of Tehran said they had experienced some of the war's heaviest strikes, with electricity cut to neighborhoods. A woman said she saw a residential building get hit. She and others reached by The Associated Press spoke on condition of anonymity to prevent reprisals. Tens of thousands of Iranians have sought shelter in the countryside.
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Trump promises an end to the hostilities as economic fallout spreads. (Source: 1News)
Death toll rises in the Gulf
The United Arab Emirates reported two more deaths as nine drones struck the country, and nearly three dozen other drones and missiles were intercepted. Firefighters battled a blaze in the industrial city of Ruwais — home to petrochemical plants — after an Iranian drone strike, officials said. No injuries were reported there.
Iranian attacks on the wealthy Gulf country — home to the business and travel hub of Dubai — have killed six people and wounded 122 others since the surprise bombardment of Iran by the US and Israel began on February 28.
In Bahrain, authorities said an Iranian attack hit a residential building in the capital, Manama, killing a 29-year-old woman and wounding eight people. Bahrain's Defence Ministry says it has intercepted over 100 ballistic missiles and 175 drones since the war began.
Sirens also sounded in Jerusalem, and sounds of explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv as Israel’s air defences worked to intercept barrages from Iran. Hezbollah, which began firing on Israel after the start of the war, launched missiles into Israel.
US and Iranian leaders trade threats
At the Pentagon, Hegseth warned that Tuesday "will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran: The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes, intelligence more refined and better than ever." He said "the last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest amount of missiles they have fired yet."
General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said US forces hit more than 5,000 targets.
Iranian attacks on the wealthy Gulf country — home to the business and travel hub of Dubai — have killed six people and wounded 122 others since the surprise bombardment of Iran by the US and Israel began on Feb. 28.
In Bahrain, authorities said an Iranian attack hit a residential building in the capital, Manama, killing a 29-year-old woman and wounding eight people. Bahrain's Defense Ministry says it has intercepted over 100 ballistic missiles and 175 drones since the war began.
Sirens also sounded in Jerusalem, and sounds of explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv as Israel’s air defenses worked to intercept barrages from Iran. Hezbollah, which began firing on Israel after the start of the war, launched missiles into Israel.
Attacks on oil aimed at pressuring the US
Iran has repeatedly targeted energy infrastructure with attacks that appear aimed at generating enough global economic pain to pressure the US and Israel to end their strikes. It has also fired on Israel and US military bases in the region.
Brent crude, the international standard, spiked to nearly US$120 on Monday before falling back but was still at around US$90 a barrel on Tuesday, nearly 24% higher than when the war started on February 28.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average initially drifted lower Tuesday, but it turned positive as oil prices sank and hopes rose that wealthy industrialized countries could tap into strategic reserves.
Iran has effectively stopped tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil is carried.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it “will not allow the export of even a single liter of oil from the region to the hostile side and its partners until further notice.”
Amin Nasser, the president and CEO of Saudi Arabia’s oil giant Aramco, said tankers were being rerouted to avoid the strait, and that its east-west pipeline would reach its full capacity of 7 million barrels a day being brought to the Red Sea port of the Yanbu this week.
“The situation at the Strait of Hormuz is blocking sizable volumes of oil from the whole region,” he said. “If this takes a long time, that will have serious impact on the global economy.”
Airstrike on Iran-linked militia in Iraq kills 5
The UN refugee agency said Tuesday that more than 667,000 people in Lebanon had registered as displaced — an increase of over 100,000 since a day earlier — and more than 85,000 people from Lebanon, mostly Syrians, had entered neighbouring Syria.
The British government said the number of commercial flights from the UAE to the UK is returning to normal levels, with 32 flights operated from Dubai to Britain on Monday and another 36 scheduled Tuesday. British Airways, however, said it suspended flights to and from Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Dubai and Tel Aviv until later this month.
Many foreign nationals have been getting out of the Persian Gulf region since the war began, including over 45,000 UK citizens, the British Foreign Office said. Some 40,000 people returned to the United States, according to the State Department.
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