U.S. strikes Iran as shipping tensions drive oil higher

The United States launched an 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iran as Tehran hit back at U.S. military targets across the region and threats to two of the Middle East’s most important shipping routes pushed oil prices sharply higher.

U.S. Central Command said the latest strikes, completed early Wednesday, targeted Iranian military operations centers, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities and military logistics infrastructure. It said the attacks were intended “to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” a vital waterway for global energy shipments.

CENTCOM said Iran has attacked more than 30 commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz over the past three months, endangering mariners and undermining freedom of navigation. The command insisted the strait “remains open for commercial vessel transit,” though Iran has continued attacks on ships and the waterway has been effectively closed by Iran since the start of the war, NPR reported.

Iranian state media reported explosions and air defense activity in multiple provinces, including Tehran, Tabriz, Bushehr, Chabahar, Konarak, Hamadan, Ilam and Kurdistan. NPR reported that Iranian state media said one strike hit an electrical installation near a nuclear power plant in Bushehr province.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Wednesday that “the operation to punish the aggressor continues,” according to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB. Iranian reports said Tehran targeted U.S. facilities in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait, including Muwaffaq Salti Airbase in Azraq, Jordan, and Sheikh Isa Airbase in Bahrain. Kuwait said its air defenses were engaging Iranian drones, while Jordan said it intercepted six Iranian missiles, with two falling in remote, uninhabited areas.

The Pentagon identified Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, as a third soldier believed to have been killed in an Iranian strike on the Jordanian air base. She had previously been listed as missing. Eighteen U.S. service members have been killed since the war began, including four in recent days: three in Jordan and one in Iraq during the destruction of a downed Iranian drone.

The fighting has spilled into global energy markets. Oil prices rose Wednesday, with reports placing benchmark crude above $92, $94 or $95 a barrel. CBS News reported Brent crude traded over $95, up about $20 since fighting resumed on July 7.

Tensions also grew around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea gateway connecting to the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean, the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement announced a blockade against Saudi vessels and warned international shippers to avoid the waterway. A Houthi-run news agency said six ships turned course Tuesday after the warning, while maritime monitors reported that tankers carrying Saudi crude diverted. The BBC, citing British maritime risk manager Vanguard, reported that two tankers loaded with Saudi crude bound for China and India turned toward the Suez Canal.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday the U.S. was “not finished” attacking Iran and said Washington was preparing to strike an underground nuclear site near Natanz. “We’ll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily,” Trump said. Iranian state media said Iran would view any attack on nuclear or other sensitive facilities as a major escalation.

Trump also said the Iranians “want to meet desperately to try and end it because they are getting decimated,” adding, “until they’re ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington remained willing to negotiate. “If they’re serious, we’re serious. If they’re not, then we will do what’s necessary to protect our interests and also the interests of our allies,” he said in Manila.

Iran has said it is potentially open to negotiations if they safeguard national interests but does not trust the United States. Diplomatic efforts continued in Pakistan, where Iranian Interior Minister Eskander Momeni visited for talks potentially aimed at reviving a collapsed ceasefire.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators the war has cost the U.S. military $37.5 billion so far and urged approval of an additional $67 billion to replenish depleted missile supplies.