United States Claims Destruction of Iranian Naval Mine-laying Vessels; Israel Strikes Tehran
Tensions in the Middle East reached a new flashpoint after the United States military announced the destruction of several Iranian naval vessels near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, local time. The operation came amid intelligence reports of Iranian attempts to sabotage the world’s most critical energy trade corridor.
The US Central Command (USCENTCOM) released video footage demonstrating attacks against the Iranian fleet, including 16 mine-laying vessels. According to CNN reports, two US intelligence sources confirmed that Iran had begun deploying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of the world’s crude oil supply passes.
President Donald Trump issued stern warnings via Truth Social, asserting that the United States would not tolerate disruptions to international shipping lanes. “If Iran has laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz, and we have not received reports that they have done so, we want those mines removed immediately, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump wrote.
Following the President’s statement, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth provided further details on platform X, stating that acting on Trump’s instructions, USCENTCOM had moved swiftly to neutralise the threat. “On Trump’s orders, US Central Command has destroyed the inactive mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz—destroying them with brutal precision. We will not allow terrorists to hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage,” Hegseth stated.
At the same time, the Israeli military launched a second wave of airstrikes targeting Iran’s capital, Tehran, and the suburbs of Beirut in Lebanon. A first wave of Israeli strikes had previously struck Iran’s command centres in Tehran and the city of Tabriz.
In a statement, the Israeli military confirmed it had struck military sites and large complexes belonging to the Iranian regime’s Basij paramilitary forces in Tabriz. The operation was designed to disable Iran’s core government infrastructure. “The completed strikes against Iran aimed to increase damage to the fundamental capabilities and core operational ranks of the Iranian terrorist regime,” the Israeli military stated.
Beyond Iran, Israel also targeted the Dahieh area in southern Beirut, which serves as the infrastructure base for the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. These cross-border attacks signal the widening of the conflict front involving major powers in the region.
Global crude oil prices are estimated to have the potential to surge to US$130 per barrel should the conflict between Iran and the United States-Israel axis continue to escalate. President Trump has threatened “high-level” military consequences should Iran proceed with mine-laying operations in the Strait of Hormuz. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has called on the G7 to release strategic oil reserves to curb price spikes resulting from the Iranian conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.