Iran fires missiles at Israel and Gulf neighbors as Trump talks of winding down Mideast war
Why it matters: Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted global energy supplies, impacting countries far beyond the Middle East.
- Iran fired more missiles at Israel and Gulf Arab states, including Dubai and Bahrain, even as President Trump claimed the threat from Tehran was "nearly eliminated."
- Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for Iran’s military, insisted Tehran maintains hidden stockpiles of arms and that facilities targeted by U.S. strikes are "insignificant," directly challenging Trump's narrative.
- Trump encouraged countries dependent on oil from the Strait of Hormuz to "build some delayed courage" and "take it" by force, stating it's not the U.S.'s responsibility.
- Britain plans to convene nearly three dozen countries to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which was previously a transit point for 20% of all traded oil.
- Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed four people, while Iran-backed Hezbollah militants are fighting Israel, which has launched a ground invasion.
- Over 1,900 people have been killed in Iran, 19 in Israel, more than two dozen in Gulf states and the occupied West Bank, and 13 U.S. service members have died during the conflict.
Despite President Trump's assertion that the threat from Iran is "nearly eliminated" and that the U.S. military's objectives are "nearing completion," Iran has defiantly continued to launch missile attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab states, demonstrating its ongoing capability to strike its neighbors. Iran's military spokesman, Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, dismissed U.S. strikes as targeting "insignificant" facilities and insisted Tehran maintains hidden stockpiles, directly contradicting Trump's claims of decisive U.S. military action.
