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Join on Telegram Rabat – The US military said Tuesday it destroyed 16 Iranian vessels suspected of preparing to lay naval mines near the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime route that carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
The move came as Iran warned it could halt energy exports from the region, which raised global concern over possible disruption to international oil markets.
The US released unclassified footage that shows several small vessels it said had the capability to deploy mines in the narrow waterway. The operation followed a warning from US President Donald Trump, who cautioned Iran against any attempt to place explosives in the strait.
Trump later wrote on social media that no confirmed reports showed mines already planted in the channel. Still, he issued a stark warning to Tehran and said the US would strike Iran “at a level never seen before” if the country failed to remove any mines that might threaten maritime traffic.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington stands ready to intensify military pressure. He signaled that upcoming operations could surpass earlier strikes in scale. At the same time, the Pentagon released new information about the toll the conflict has taken on American forces
Oil markets and global economy face uncertainty
Energy markets continue to watch developments around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most strategic oil shipping routes in the world.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it would block oil exports from the region to what it described as hostile states and their partners “until further notice.”
‘Serious impact on the global economy’
Amin Nasser, president and chief executive of Saudi Aramco, said tankers have begun to avoid the strait. He said the company’s east-west pipeline will soon operate at full capacity and transport about 7 million barrels of oil per day to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
“The situation at the Strait of Hormuz is blocking sizable volumes of oil from the whole region,” Nasser said. “If this takes a long time, that will have serious impact on the global economy.”
Oil prices surged earlier in the week amid fears of supply disruption but later stabilized as markets awaited clearer signals about the direction of the war.
Humanitarian pressure also continues to mount. The UN refugee agency said more than 667,000 people in Lebanon have registered as displaced.
The figure rose by more than 100,000 in a single day. More than 85,000 people from Lebanon, most of them Syrians, have crossed into neighboring Syria.
Foreign nationals also continue to leave the Gulf region. British officials say more than 45,000 UK citizens have departed since the conflict began, while the US State Department reported that about 40,000 Americans have returned home.
Air travel in the region remains uneven. British Airways suspended flights to and from Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Dubai, and Tel Aviv until later this month, even as commercial routes between the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom gradually resume normal schedules.
