
Explosions Rock Tehran and Beirut as Middle East Conflict Intensifies
Hundreds killed; Iran launches ineffective retaliatory strikes against Gulf nations and Israel—which has opened a new front against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Hundreds killed; Iran launches ineffective retaliatory strikes against Gulf nations and Israel—which has opened a new front against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre reports that at least sixteen vessels have been attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began.

Iran warned that U.S.-linked energy infrastructure would be “destroyed and turned into a pile of ashes” if its oil facilities were targeted.

IEA members agreed to release 400 million barrels from strategic reserves, the largest coordinated move in the agency’s history.

The French president also said there is “no confirmation” of mines being deployed in the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump has warned that any attempt by Iran to mine the Strait of Hormuz would trigger military consequences “at a level never seen before.”

The United States has targeted Iranian minelaying vessels that menace the narrow entrance to the Persian Gulf.

Trump warns that any attempt to disrupt Middle East shipping routes will trigger a far stronger response than any of his previous military actions.

As fighting in the Gulf intensifies, energy markets are jolted, and Europe faces renewed fears of rising gas and electricity prices.

The French commitment to the Mediterranean and Red Sea will include eight warships, the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier group, and two helicopter carriers.