Trump Orders Fresh Strikes on Iran as Oil Prices Surge Past $96
President Donald Trump ordered fresh U.S. strikes on Iranian targets in response to Tehran's retaliation against American positions across the Middle East, sending Brent crude oil prices above $96 a barrel.
The U.S. military said it struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets, including air-defense systems, radar sites, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities, and communications facilities. The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members.
Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. forces in Jordan, Bahrain, and Iraq, according to Reuters. Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that if the enemy wants Iran not to export oil from the Persian Gulf, 'no one will be able to export oil.'
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the center of the crisis, with the strategic waterway handling roughly one-fifth of global oil flows. The U.S. dollar index stood at 99.714, up 0.06%.