Trump Threatens to "Hammer" Iran Harder as Oil Prices Rise
US President Donald Trump has stated his intention to attack Iran “very hard in the coming week”. This escalation follows a sharp increase in global oil prices triggered by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping channel for world oil circulation.
Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has forced the United States to purchase Russian crude oil, despite Russia facing sanctions from European nations.
In a prior Fox News interview, Trump indicated that the war was concluding and pledged to ensure the safety of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The US would escort ships in the area “if necessary”.
Conflict Expanding Across the Middle East
According to Reuters, after nearly two weeks of conflict, approximately 2,000 people have been killed, predominantly in Iran but also in Lebanon and increasingly in the Gulf region, marking the first time in decades that the Gulf has been directly impacted by Middle Eastern conflicts.
US military forces have also sustained casualties. The US military has confirmed that four of six crew members aboard a refuelling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq have been killed.
Iran has launched additional missiles and drones targeting Israel, whilst Israeli military forces have conducted strikes across multiple areas of Teheran and continue attacking Hezbollah militias allied with Iran throughout Lebanon and the capital Beirut.
Iran’s Press TV reported that a woman was killed in an air strike near a demonstration in Teheran commemorating Quds Day (Jerusalem), one of numerous protests across Iran expressing solidarity with Palestinians living in Israeli-occupied territories. Iranian media reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attended the rally as a show of resistance.
Israeli military stated that its air force has struck over 200 targets across western and central Iran within the past 24 hours, including ballistic missile launchers, air defence systems, and weapons production facilities.