U.S. Strikes Iran; Kuwait Closes Airspace
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- U.S. Central Command completed strikes on Iran at 9:04 p.m. ET Wednesday at Trump's direction, hitting Iranian military surveillance, communication systems, and air defense sites; Trump said the U.S. would hit Iran "very hard" again and that Iran should "sign the deal."
- Kuwait temporarily closed its airspace, intercepted "hostile aerial targets," and reopened after several hours; Iran's state-run Tasnim news agency claimed Iran "struck and destroyed eighteen important targets" at Kuwait's Ali Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber air bases and Bahrain's Sheikh Issa air base.
- Bahrain's king media adviser said the country's air defense systems intercepted and destroyed "Iranian aerial attacks," and its interior ministry urged civilians to head to a safe place.
- Israel's Home Front Command warned of launches from Lebanon toward several communities in northern Israel, expanding the conflict's geographic footprint beyond the U.S.-Iran exchange.
- Iran's top military command closed the Strait of Hormuz and warned any vessel attempting to cross would be targeted, per Reuters; Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran's parliament national security commission, wrote on X: "this time, the war won't be limited to the region."
- Trump told Fox News he spoke directly with Iranian officials who asked him to stop, said the bombing would end shortly, and claimed "the Israelis were not involved," while separately calling Iran's military "a complete and total mess" and threatening further strikes.
- Oil prices and U.S. equity futures moved sharply on the uncertainty: U.S. crude climbed nearly 2% to $89.72/barrel, Brent rose 1.3% to $92.74, and the Dow dropped more than 600 points after Trump's escalation comments.
Why it matters: Iran's reported closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for global oil shipments — combined with attacks on U.S. bases in two additional Gulf states, has expanded a bilateral U.S.-Iran exchange into a multi-country regional crisis. Oil jumped ~2% and the Dow fell 600+ points despite Trump's assurance that bombing would "stop shortly," signaling traders aren't pricing in a quick de-escalation. Rystad Energy warned oil could hit $150/barrel within months if fighting continues from already-low inventory levels.
