US strikes Iran 11th night as Trump targets Natanz site
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- US Central Command launched strikes on Iran for the 11th straight night, targeting military operations centres, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage, and logistics infrastructure to degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Trump threatened to attack Pickaxe Mountain, an underground nuclear site near Natanz where Iran is suspected of building an undeclared enrichment facility, saying 'we'll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily.'
- Iran's Khatam Al-Anbiya military command warned that striking the nuclear site would constitute 'an expansion of war in the region,' threatening retaliation against 'all the interests of America, the allies and supporters.'
- Houthis announced they were closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait to Saudi vessels, prompting two tankers loaded with Saudi crude bound for China and India to make U-turns toward the Suez Canal, creating a second shipping chokepoint alongside the Strait of Hormuz crisis.
- Oil prices jumped to $94 per barrel on Wednesday in response to the escalation, with Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan reporting they intercepted Iranian drones and missiles overnight.
- US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate the war has cost the US $37.5bn so far — up nearly $8bn since the May estimate — and warned military training will be curtailed unless lawmakers approve urgent additional funding.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington remains open to diplomacy with Tehran but expressed doubt that Iran is serious about talks, even as Iran warned of reprisals and the Pentagon identified Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad as a fourth US soldier killed in recent strikes.
Why it matters: The war's price tag for US taxpayers has climbed nearly $8bn in roughly six weeks to $37.5bn, and Hegseth says training cuts loom without new funding — a direct domestic pressure point as Trump eyes escalation at Natanz. Meanwhile, the Houthi closure of Bab al-Mandab to Saudi tankers creates a second chokepoint crisis layered on top of Hormuz, and oil at $94 reflects markets pricing in the compounding risk of strikes on a nuclear facility.
