The Pentagon has acknowledged that nearly 100 US service members have sustained injuries over the past two weeks amid escalating airstrikes on Iran. This admission comes as Iran launched a series of reprisal attacks, including striking a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel.
Pentagon confirms injuries amid escalating strikes
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that the vast majority of injuries were minor concussions, with 96% of affected personnel having returned to duty. He was responding to a New York Times report alleging that the Pentagon had withheld information about troop injuries from Iranian strikes, which he denied. In the last week, three US soldiers were killed in action in Jordan and Iraq.
Iran attacks tanker in Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for an attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, as well as two other attacks on ships on Monday. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) reported that the tanker was hit by an unknown projectile eight nautical miles east of Oman's Limah. The crew abandoned the vessel and boarded a lifeboat, with no environmental impact reported.
Regional defenses activated
Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan reported activating defenses to repel Iranian attacks targeting US military sites, including air defense systems and a radar installation in Bahrain and Kuwait. The scale of US injuries has brought greater scrutiny to Iran's reprisal capacity.
Houthis announce maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia
Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthis declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, threatening to close the Bab al-Mandeb strait through which about 12% of global trade passes. Saudi Arabia's military stated it would keep the waterway open, but the threat pressures the kingdom's oil exports, already strained by reduced shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil prices rise amid conflict
The escalation has pushed oil prices higher, with benchmark Brent crude trading above $88 a barrel and US regular petrol averaging $4 a gallon. The Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global crude oil and natural gas once passed, has seen shipping largely stall.
Diplomatic efforts continue
Iran's interior minister traveled to Pakistan for talks, but the interim deal signed last month to end the fighting has crumbled. The US and Iran remain on the brink of all-out war, with both sides targeting civilian infrastructure.
