US destroys Iranian minelayers as Tehran vows oil export blockade amid 11-day conflict

Eleven days into a widening conflict, the United States and Iran have escalated their confrontation to the waters of the Persian Gulf, where the stakes extend far beyond military posturing. On Tuesday, the US military said it destroyed sixteen Iranian vessels designed to lay mines, acting on concerns that Tehran might attempt to choke off one of the world's most critical shipping lanes. Through the Strait of Hormuz flows roughly one-fifth of the planet's oil supply—a chokepoint so vital that even the threat of disruption sends tremors through global markets.

Iran's response was defiant. The country's Revolutionary Guard announced it would not permit "even a single litre" of oil to leave the region bound for what it calls the hostile side and its partners. This was not merely rhetoric. Saudi Arabia's state oil company, Aramco, confirmed that tankers were already being rerouted to avoid the strait, and that the company would push its east-west pipeline to full capacity this week—seven million barrels daily flowing instead toward the Red Sea port of Yanbu. The company's president and CEO, Amin Nasser, warned that prolonged blockage would inflict serious damage on the global economy.

President Trump, meanwhile, claimed via social media that there were no confirmed reports of Iranian mines actually deployed in the channel, even as his own Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, promised the most intense strikes yet. The American military had released unclassified footage of some of the vessels it said it destroyed, part of a broader campaign that has now targeted more than five thousand objectives across Iran. The messaging from Washington remained aggressive: Trump threatened to strike Iran at "a level never seen before" if the country did not immediately remove any mines it might have placed.

The human toll of the conflict has grown steeply. At least 1,230 people have been killed in Iran, more than 480 in Lebanon, and 12 in Israel. The Pentagon reported that approximately 140 US service members have been wounded, though the military characterized the vast majority as minor injuries—108 troops already returned to duty. Eight suffered severe wounds, and seven have died. In Tehran, residents described experiencing some of the war's heaviest strikes, with apartment buildings taking direct hits. Tens of thousands of Iranians have fled to the countryside seeking shelter.

The conflict has rippled across the entire region. Israeli airstrikes killed seven people in southern Lebanon early Wednesday, including a Red Cross worker who died after an earlier strike on his team. A paramedic with a Hezbollah-affiliated health organization was killed while treating the wounded. The Lebanese army reported a fifth soldier dead since the war began. In Saudi Arabia, the Defence Ministry said it intercepted multiple Iranian missiles aimed at Prince Sultan Air Base, a major US-Saudi facility, and destroyed drones headed toward the Shaybah oil field deep in the desert. The United Arab Emirates reported that Iranian attacks had killed six people and wounded 122 others. Bahrain sounded air raid sirens early Wednesday as Iranian fire approached.

Iraq saw drones strike military bases at Baghdad International Airport late Tuesday, with some falling near Iraqi security positions and others near logistics sites used by US-led coalition forces. The scale of displacement has become staggering: the UN refugee agency reported that more than 667,000 people in Lebanon had registered as displaced—an increase of over 100,000 in a single day—and more than 85,000 people, mostly Syrians, had crossed into neighbouring Syria. Over 45,000 British citizens have evacuated the region, and some 40,000 Americans have returned home.

Iran's leadership has shown no sign of backing down. Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the parliament speaker, declared on social media that Iran was "definitely not looking for a ceasefire," and called for the aggressor to be "punched in the mouth" so it would never attack Iran again. Ali Larijani, a top security official, posted a direct warning to Trump: "Even those bigger than you couldn't eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself." The Trump administration, facing questions from lawmakers about its strategy, has offered little clarity. Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen of Nevada, after attending a classified briefing Tuesday, said she remained uncertain about the administration's end game or plans.

Wall Street held relatively steady as traders waited for signals about when the conflict might end, but oil prices remained volatile—well below the peaks hit on Monday, yet still elevated enough to rattle financial markets worldwide. The fear driving those markets is straightforward: if the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz persists, the global economy faces serious disruption. For now, the standoff continues, with each side signalling it will not yield.