President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the United States is “prepared to launch another attack on Iran at any time we want,” after describing a “very heavy attack” on Iranian equipment along the Strait of Hormuz. He said the strike had disabled new defensive and offensive systems the Iranians were building in the waterway.
The latest exchange saw U.S. forces hit targets on Iran’s southern coast while Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks on American assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq. Iranian officials accused the United States of striking a wedding celebration in Sirik, killing four people and wounding dozens; the Iranian health minister later reported a total of 18 dead and 108 injured in the U.S. strikes.
Financial markets reacted sharply, with Asian and European stock indices falling after the air raids, though oil prices edged higher, reaching about $97 a barrel. The Iranian rial slipped to a new low of more than 2.2 million per U.S. dollar, a decline of roughly 10 percent in the past week and about half its value over the previous year. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said 17 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the highest flow since earlier reductions.
U.S. Central Command said the strikes targeted air defenses, radar systems, maritime assets, mine‑laying capabilities and communications sites. In a separate comment on Truth Social, President Trump suggested the waterway might be renamed after him. Pakistan’s foreign ministry expressed confidence that Washington and Tehran would soon return to dialogue, citing recent diplomatic contacts.
Separately, Iranian border guards seized a vessel carrying 382,000 litres of smuggled fuel in the northern Gulf and detained its eleven foreign crew members, according to state media.
