President Donald Trump described Iran’s campaign against Strait of Hormuz shipping as the country’s equivalent of a nuclear option — a last-ditch effort to drag the global economy into the conflict and force concessions through economic pain. Calling Iranian leaders “deranged scumbags” and promising devastating military consequences, Trump announced that US forces had already obliterated every military installation on Kharg Island and warned that oil infrastructure would be struck immediately if the blockade of the critical waterway continued. The Strait carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which supertankers from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, and Iran itself must pass to reach global markets. Iran’s ongoing campaign of attacks on commercial and military shipping in the strait has already caused significant disruption to energy flows, contributing to sharp oil price volatility. US officials insisted the waterway had not yet been mined, saying they were “dealing with” Iran’s attacks. European governments, including reportedly France, opened diplomatic back-channels with Tehran specifically to negotiate safe passage for their commercial vessels.
Combined US and Israeli forces have struck more than 15,000 targets since the conflict began. Israel alone reported over 200 strikes in the most recent 24-hour window. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described Iran’s leadership as desperate and in hiding, with new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei wounded and communicating only through a written statement because he had been disfigured in the strikes. Trump’s announcement that Kharg Island had been militarily obliterated added the island’s oil infrastructure to the list of potential future targets.
The broader conflict spread destruction across the region. Lebanon has counted over 600 deaths and 800,000 displaced, with eight more killed in Sidon Friday. Hezbollah injured about 60 Israelis in rocket salvoes. Saudi Arabia intercepted close to 50 Iranian drones. Qatar ordered Doha evacuations before a missile interception. Two died in Oman in drone crashes. Dubai’s financial district sustained damage. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launched new coordinated strikes on Israel with Hezbollah as part of al-Quds Day. Iran has reported over 1,300 deaths.
Tehran residents described a city under siege, with constant explosions, power failures, rubble, and desperate civilians unable to flee due to fuel shortages. A retired professor begged the world to intervene. A shopkeeper counted six explosions in a single hour. The United States has lost 13 service members, including six in a tanker aircraft crash in Iraq. France lost a soldier in Iraq to a pro-Iranian militia drone. Oil markets, which had fallen sharply Thursday, recovered slightly Friday as investors tried to assess the balance between military devastation and diplomatic efforts in a conflict that showed no sign of resolution.