Iran’s New Supreme Leader Issues Written Statement as Trump Claims Iran Is 'About to Surrender' and Later Says Its Navy and Air Force Are 'Gone'
Iranian state media aired a written statement attributed to new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei — read on state TV with no audio or video and not independently verified — vowing to avenge martyrs, keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, continue strikes on U.S. bases, thank allied militias and signal possible new fronts while he remains out of public view amid reports he was wounded. President Trump, meanwhile, told G7 leaders Iran is “about to surrender” and has publicly claimed U.S. strikes have destroyed Iran’s navy and air force and “wiped” its leadership — assertions framed by Pentagon actions (including strikes on alleged mine‑laying vessels) as the war escalates, shipping in the Gulf stalls and oil prices and casualties climb.
📌 Key Facts
- Iran’s newly installed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first public message as a written statement read on state TV (no audio/video of him); it thanks allied groups (Hezbollah, Iraqi militias, Houthis), vows to avenge martyrs, calls for U.S. bases in the region to be closed and says the leverage of closing the Strait of Hormuz ‘must be used.’ Israeli and other officials reported he was wounded in the opening strike and he has not appeared publicly since.
- Iran has conducted sustained missile, drone and rocket attacks across the region — targeting Israel, Gulf states (including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE), ports and commercial shipping — with strikes reported on multiple ships, Dubai International Airport (wounding four), and tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz effectively halted.
- U.S. forces, citing concerns Iran was preparing to mine the Strait of Hormuz, struck and destroyed Iranian mine‑laying vessels (U.S. CENTCOM updated the count to 16); reporting is mixed on whether mines had already been laid, and several major maritime insurers have suspended coverage for ships in Iranian waters and parts of the Gulf.
- U.S. and Israeli strikes have hit thousands of Iranian targets (U.S. officials have described broad goals to degrade missile forces, Iran’s military‑industrial base and secure Hormuz); administration officials, including President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have portrayed Iran’s defenses as severely degraded—Trump claiming Iran’s navy and air force are ‘gone’ and that Iran is ‘about to surrender’—claims not independently verified by reporters.
- The human toll and operational injuries have grown: reporting cites more than 1,800 dead (mostly in Iran), large civilian casualties across the region (Iran, Lebanon, Israel), roughly 140 U.S. service members wounded (mostly minor), and U.N. estimates of up to 3.2 million people internally displaced in Iran (with hundreds of thousands displaced in Lebanon).
- The conflict has sharply disrupted energy markets and shipping: Brent crude rose above $100 a barrel (roughly 38% higher since the war began), the IEA authorized an unprecedented 400‑million‑barrel emergency release (with the U.S. contributing 172 million barrels), and U.S. average gasoline prices climbed to about $3.58–$3.61 per gallon.
- Global and regional leaders are scrambling for responses: G7 leaders urged a quick end and protection of Hormuz; the U.S. is discussing naval escorts and insurance solutions to get oil to market, maritime protection arrangements are being proposed, and diplomatic tensions rose as Washington briefly eased rules on some Russian oil purchases to address the supply squeeze.
- Pentagon officials have amplified messaging about Iran’s leadership and capabilities — Hegseth repeatedly said Mojtaba Khamenei is ‘wounded and likely disfigured’ and portrayed Iranian leaders as hiding underground — language and assessments that remain unproven in independent reporting while Israeli and other intelligence sources have also suggested Khamenei suffered injuries in the opening strike.
📊 Relevant Data
Disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have driven fertilizer prices up by about 30%, potentially leading to higher global food prices and challenges for farmers during planting seasons.
Fertilizer prices soar as Strait of Hormuz tensions rise—forcing U.S. farmers to make tough choices — Fortune
In 2024, food insecurity rates in the US were 24.4% for Black households and 20.2% for Latinx households, compared to an overall rate of about 13.5% in 2023; Blacks make up approximately 13% of the US population, and Hispanics about 19%.
USDA Food Security Report Reveals 47.9 Million Americans Facing Hunger — Food Research & Action Center
African American households face higher energy burdens than other racial groups across income levels, with factors like older building ages and lower homeownership rates contributing to this disparity; African Americans comprise about 13% of the US population.
Energy burden: Exploring the intersection of race, income, and building characteristics in the United States — Energy Research & Social Science
📰 Source Timeline (29)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 13, 2026
4:53 PM
Trump vows to hit Iran 'very hard' after obliterating nearly '90 percent' of regime missiles
New information:
- This piece reiterates that the Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed and that his son Mojtaba Khamenei has been named as the new supreme leader.
- Trump uses his Fox interview and Truth Social to claim Iran’s navy and air force are 'gone' and that its leaders have been 'wiped from the face of the earth,' even as Mojtaba issues written statements vowing to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed.
- Trump asserts the U.S. has so badly damaged Iran that it would take 'years' for Tehran to rebuild.
2:38 PM
Explosion rocks state-organized rally in Tehran after Israeli warning
New information:
- Confirms that Mojtaba Khamenei’s 'first public statement' since taking over as supreme leader was issued in written form, vowing to continue missile and drone attacks and to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, and that he has still not appeared in public.
- Reports that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeated or reinforced his claim that Khamenei is 'wounded and likely disfigured,' again without offering evidence or elaboration.
- Places these leadership and health questions in the context of an explosion at a central Tehran rally that Iran proceeded with despite an Israeli warning, highlighting continued Iranian resolve and risk-taking amid heavy bombardment.
1:29 PM
New Iranian supreme leader 'likely disfigured,' Hegseth says
New information:
- At a Friday Pentagon press briefing, War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is 'wounded and likely disfigured' and described Iranian leaders as 'desperate and hiding' underground.
- Hegseth highlighted that Khamenei’s first public message was only a written statement, arguing that Iran has 'plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders' and implying the lack of audio/video is due to his injuries and weak legitimacy.
- Hegseth claimed the U.S. is 'on plan to defeat, destroy, disable all of [Iran’s] meaningful military capabilities at a pace the world has never seen before' and said 'soon, and very soon, all of Iran's defense companies will be destroyed.'
12:43 PM
Hegseth claims Iran's new supreme leader is "wounded and likely disfigured"
New information:
- Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is 'wounded and likely disfigured,' the first such explicit health claim from the Trump administration.
- Hegseth argued that Khamenei’s first public message being issued only as a written statement on Iranian state TV — without video or audio — is evidence he is injured, saying, 'Iran has plenty of cameras and voice recorders. Why a written statement?'
- Axios reports that in a Wednesday G7 virtual meeting, Trump told leaders Khamenei 'is not in good shape' and said, 'Nobody knows who is the leader, so there is no one that can announce surrender.'
- Hegseth used inflammatory language at the briefing, saying Iranian leaders have 'gone underground, cowering' and likening them to 'rats,' further signaling the administration’s propaganda line about Iran’s leadership during the war.
9:00 AM
Scoop: Trump claimed in G7 call that Iran is "about to surrender"
New information:
- Trump told G7 leaders in a virtual call Wednesday that Iran is ‘about to surrender’ and claimed he had ‘got rid of a cancer that was threatening us all’ through Operation Epic Fury.
- On the same call, Trump said there may be no officials left alive in Tehran with the authority to formally announce a surrender, while mocking new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei as a ‘lightweight.’
- All other G7 leaders pressed Trump to end the war quickly and secure the Strait of Hormuz, but participants described Trump’s comments on his objectives and timeline as ‘ambiguous and noncommittal.’
- Trump portrayed the Hormuz situation as improving and said commercial ships should resume operations, even though at least two tankers were set ablaze off Iraq that night.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron urged Trump not to let Russia benefit or receive sanctions relief from the crisis; hours later, Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev met in Florida with Trump advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about the energy crisis.
- The following day, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a one‑month U.S. waiver allowing purchases of Russian oil already at sea, over the objections of the three European leaders, claiming it would not significantly benefit Moscow.
3:22 AM
Experts, reports on the Strait of Hormuz and gas prices
New information:
- CBS reiterates that a statement attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei says Iran should "keep putting pressure" on the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint.
- Pairs that statement explicitly with fresh reporting that ship traffic was "mostly stopped" Thursday amid the war.
- Connects the Supreme Leader’s call for pressure at the chokepoint to real‑time oil price and gas price impacts discussed in the segment.
March 12, 2026
10:55 PM
Iran's new supreme leader vows continued retaliation across Gulf and oil routes
New information:
- PBS reports that Mojtaba Khamenei’s vow of continued retaliation explicitly references ongoing Iranian actions throughout the Persian Gulf and along oil routes.
- The segment ties the statement directly to the current move of global oil prices back above $100 a barrel and notes that the widening conflict is “rattling global markets.”
- Leila Molana‑Allen reports this from Qatar, highlighting regional perspectives on how Khamenei’s message is being received in Gulf states that host key energy and diplomatic hubs.
10:26 PM
How Iran is trying to end war with US and Israel on its own terms
New information:
- Clarifies that this was Mojtaba Khamenei’s first public statement since being chosen as supreme leader and that it was read on state TV without any video or audio of him, reinforcing uncertainty about his condition.
- Reports that he was wounded in the same Israeli strike on Feb. 28 that killed former supreme leader Ali Khamenei and much of the family, adding detail on the leadership‑strike casualties.
- Provides more extensive quotation from his statement, including ‘We will not retreat’ and an explicit call for neighboring states to expel U.S. bases from their territory.
- Situates the statement within an Iranian leadership view of this conflict as a ‘final war’ over regime survival, according to outside analysts quoted in the piece.
- Places Khamenei’s vow to keep the Strait of Hormuz blocked in the context of Iran’s broader economic‑pressure strategy, including missile and drone strikes on U.S. bases, Israel, Gulf oil facilities and ports.
4:38 PM
Iran’s Supreme Leader Stays Off Camera to Issue Defiant Statement
New information:
- Confirms that Mojtaba Khamenei has remained entirely out of public view since his appointment as supreme leader, with his first statement issued only via state media.
- Reports that his absence from public appearances is fueling renewed speculation about his physical well‑being.
- Provides more explicit language that he has vowed to attack U.S. bases in the Middle East and to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, and that he says Iran will open new fronts in the war while continuing to target bases in neighboring Arab states hosting U.S. forces.
4:26 PM
Iran shares first statement attributed to its new supreme leader
New information:
- CBS specifies that this is the first public statement attributed to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei since his appointment after Ali Khamenei’s killing on Feb. 28, 2026, and that it was read by a state‑TV presenter with only a still photo, no audio or video of the leader.
- An Iranian official is quoted as saying the new supreme leader was injured in the initial U.S.–Israeli strike but is ‘alive and well’; the article notes he has not been seen since the war began, fueling rumors he may be incapacitated or in a coma.
- The statement says Mojtaba Khamenei learned of his appointment from state TV, praises ‘brave warriors’ and explicitly says ‘the lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely continue to be used’ as a wartime tool.
- He thanks ‘warriors of the Resistance Front’ and singles out Hezbollah, Iraqi militias and ‘the brave and faithful Yemen’ (Houthis), even though the article notes Houthis have not yet openly intervened on Tehran’s behalf in this war.
- The message details his own losses in the strike (father, wife, sister and other relatives) and vows Iran ‘will not refrain from avenging the blood’ of all ‘martyrs,’ promising to take ‘as much of [the enemy’s] property as we determine’ or destroy an equivalent amount if compensation is not given.
3:50 PM
Iran's new supreme leader issues first public statement since taking over regime
New information:
- CBS frames this as Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s first public statement since taking over the regime, without repeating prior caveats about authentication or his injury status.
- The report highlights two core demands in simple terms: that all U.S. bases in the region be closed immediately, and that Iran will continue operations to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed.
- The piece is a brief broadcast hit focusing on these immediate threats, reinforcing that Khamenei is personally tying his leadership stance to expelling U.S. forces and leveraging Hormuz closure.
2:34 PM
Iran's new supreme leader vows revenge on U.S., Israel
New information:
- This is Mojtaba Khamenei’s first public message as supreme leader, delivered via a statement read on Iranian state TV, in which he vows that Iran will ‘avenge the blood of the martyrs’ and take revenge for ongoing U.S. and Israeli attacks.
- He explicitly warns that attacks on U.S. military bases in the region will continue if those bases are not shut down and ties Iran’s continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz to maintaining ‘leverage.’
- Khamenei publicly thanks Hezbollah, Iraqi militias and the Houthis as part of the ‘axis of resistance,’ and signals that Iran is considering opening ‘new fronts’ where the enemy is ‘highly vulnerable,’ foreshadowing deeper Houthi involvement.
- He tells Gulf governments that Iran is striking only U.S. bases on their soil, not the countries themselves, but demands they close U.S. bases ‘as soon as possible’ or risk further strikes.
- Khamenei states that after the war Iran will demand compensation from the U.S. and Israel and threatens that if they refuse, Iran will seize or destroy property of ‘equivalent value.’
- Israeli officials tell Axios that Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded but survived the opening‑day strike that killed his father, mother, wife and daughter; he has not appeared in public since.
2:00 PM
Iran's supreme leader says closure of Strait of Hormuz should be used as leverage
New information:
- Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in his first statement since his appointment (read on state TV), said the leverage of closing the Strait of Hormuz 'should be used' and that Iran’s attacks on Gulf Arab neighbors will continue.
- The article reports that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is effectively stopped, with Brent crude up more than 9% on the day to above $100 a barrel and roughly 38% higher than when the war began, after intraday swings near $120.
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian publicly suggested that ending the war would require recognizing Iran’s 'legitimate rights,' paying reparations, and offering security guarantees against future attacks.
- Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned that any U.S. attempt to seize Iranian islands, amid speculation about a possible strike on Kharg Island, would 'make the Persian Gulf run with the blood of invaders.'
- The U.N. refugee agency estimates up to 3.2 million people are internally displaced in Iran and at least 759,000 in Lebanon as a result of the war.
- The article notes that Khamenei did not appear on camera and cites an Israeli assessment that he was wounded in the war’s opening salvo, explaining why his statement was read by an anchor.
1:36 PM
Iran hits tankers and Gulf nations as U.S., Israel continue attacks
New information:
- CBS piece explicitly frames Iranian actions as attacks on multiple tankers near Iranian territory and strikes on oil facilities in nearby Gulf countries, rather than the broader multi-country barrages and mine‑laying highlighted in the existing story.
- Segment reiterates that, according to lawmakers briefed by the Pentagon, the Iran war cost more than $11 billion in its first week, tying front-line battlefield reporting directly to the early cost figure.
- Provides an updated on‑the‑ground TV correspondent account (Charlie D’Agata) that confirms continued U.S. and Israeli air and missile strikes across Iran at the same time as Iranian attacks on shipping and energy infrastructure.
1:27 PM
Iran unleashes massive attacks on Day 13 of war
New information:
- On Day 13 of the war, Iran launched what CBS describes as massive attacks bombarding Dubai, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
- The same barrage also targeted ships, adding to earlier Iranian strikes on maritime traffic.
- CBS highlights that these Day‑13 attacks further alarmed global investors already worried about soaring oil prices.
11:33 AM
Iran's unrelenting attacks on Mideast shipping and energy infrastructure send oil prices up again
New information:
- Details that Iran has just hit a container ship off Dubai, sparked a blaze near Bahrain’s international airport, attacked a major Saudi oil field with a drone, and struck Iraq’s port of Basra, forcing Iraq to halt operations at all its oil terminals.
- Confirmation that tanker and other traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is effectively stopped, with Brent crude up another 9% to above $100 a barrel and about 38% higher than before the war started on Feb. 28.
- Report that Iran is ignoring a U.N. Security Council resolution passed the previous day demanding it halt strikes on Gulf neighbors, with fresh attacks also reported in Kuwait and the UAE.
- New war-aims rhetoric: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian posts that ending the war would require recognition of Iran’s “legitimate rights,” reparations and guarantees against future attacks; Iran’s parliamentary speaker warns any attempt to seize Iranian islands would “make the Persian Gulf run with the blood of invaders” and says “the blood of American soldiers is Trump’s personal responsibility.”
- ABC cites the U.N. refugee agency as saying up to 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced, largely from Tehran and major cities to the north and rural areas.
- Update on the regional military exchange: sirens and intercepts over Jerusalem, another missile attack on the city later in the day, and roughly 200 Hezbollah rockets fired into northern and deeper areas of Israel, with Israel responding with a ‘wide-scale wave of strikes’ on Tehran and Lebanon that killed 11 people in two early-morning strikes.
10:07 AM
Iran issues statement purported to be from new leader as war with U.S. and Israel rages
New information:
- Iranian state media aired what it claims is the first statement by new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei since his father’s death, though it was read by another voice and its authenticity is not independently confirmed.
- The statement vows to avenge Iranian 'martyrs,' explicitly references the March 1 Minab girls’ school strike, calls for the Strait of Hormuz to remain closed, and says Iran will continue targeting U.S. bases while claiming friendship with neighbors.
- An unnamed Israeli official told NPR that Mojtaba Khamenei was lightly wounded earlier in the war.
- Iraq reported the first oil‑related strikes in its own waters: two tankers hit near Basra’s port approaches, with Iran claiming responsibility for one U.S.-owned vessel, at least one person killed, and 38 crew rescued.
- The U.S. confirmed it will release 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as part of a coordinated 400‑million‑barrel IEA emergency release over about four months, and President Trump publicly framed the price spike as temporary.
- GasBuddy data put the average U.S. price for regular gasoline at about $3.61 per gallon at the time of the announcement.
9:00 AM
Iranian oil squeeze tests Trump's war plans
New information:
- Axios confirms that Trump is actively ‘discussing plans’ to supply naval escorts to tankers and to arrange insurance coverage for vessels transiting the Strait, and portrays these as key tools to unlock supplies the White House insists are ‘plenty’ but hard to get ‘on the market.’
- It ties these naval and insurance measures explicitly to Trump’s political concerns over gasoline prices and midterm risks, rather than presenting them purely as maritime‑security decisions.
- The piece uses the fresh example of two tankers attacked in the Persian Gulf, including a viral blaze in Iraqi waters captured on video and verified by Reuters stills, to underline how shipping threats are evolving and how imagery is driving public and market anxiety.
1:27 AM
Calls grow for Strait of Hormuz ship escorts as Iran escalates attacks
New information:
- Eurasia Group now assesses there is “growing momentum to establish a naval protection system” in the Strait of Hormuz, with a deliberate escort plan likely taking until late March or early April to fully set up.
- U.S. Central Command warns that Iran is using civilian ports along the Strait to conduct military operations that threaten international shipping and has reported at least five cargo vessels hit in the region on Wednesday.
- Officials say at least four seafarers were killed after two missiles struck a UAE‑flagged tugboat that had been assisting a stranded container ship north of Oman in the Strait.
- The U.S. military on Tuesday destroyed 16 Iranian mine‑laying naval vessels amid concerns Tehran is preparing to deploy mines in the waterway.
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that the U.S. Navy has not yet escorted a tanker, correcting an inaccurate post from Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s X account that briefly claimed a successful escort and temporarily pushed oil prices down.
- A Department of Energy spokesperson says Trump, Wright and other officials are closely monitoring the situation, consulting industry, and having the military draw up additional options including potential Navy escorts to keep the Strait open.
- Maritime expert Capt. Kees Buckens estimates about 20,000 seafarers are currently working on ships in the Persian Gulf, describing them as effectively stuck in a war zone and highlighting the human risk to crews.
March 11, 2026
10:55 PM
Iran targets ships in Strait of Hormuz, raising global energy fears
New information:
- PBS reports that Iranian missiles struck three cargo ships on Wednesday, including one manned by the Thai navy, near the Strait of Hormuz, and that maritime groups say Iran has now struck at least a dozen vessels there, effectively halting tanker traffic.
- The segment confirms that the International Energy Agency has ordered an unprecedented release of 400 million barrels from emergency stocks, described as roughly 20 days’ worth of the strait’s normal exports and the largest such draw in history.
- Iranian military spokesperson Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari is quoted vowing that Iran will not allow ‘even a single liter of oil’ through the Strait of Hormuz for the benefit of the U.S., Israel (‘the Zionists’) or their partners, and declaring any vessel whose ship or oil cargo belongs to them a legitimate target.
- President Trump, speaking to reporters after leaving the White House, reiterates his Axios claim that there is ‘practically nothing left to target’ in Iran and asserts that Iran has lost its navy, air force, radar, anti‑aircraft defenses, and its leaders.
- The piece cites a new Israeli intelligence assessment that Iran’s newly installed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was lightly wounded at the start of the war, while Israel’s defense minister vows to continue operations ‘day after day’ to ‘crush this regime.’
12:39 PM
Live Updates: Japan and Germany to Release Oil as War in Iran Threatens Global Supply
New information:
- Total count of attacked ships in the Strait of Hormuz, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman since Feb. 28 is now 13, per UK Maritime Trade Operations.
- Two additional cargo ships reported being hit by unknown projectiles in the region on March 11, and a third ship was hit about 50 miles northwest of Dubai.
- Japan, Germany and Austria will release oil from their strategic reserves in response to Middle East supply disruptions.
- G7 leaders are meeting to discuss a possible joint oil release with the International Energy Agency.
- The conflict death toll has risen to more than 1,800 people, mostly in Iran.
- The U.S. national average gasoline price has climbed to $3.58 per gallon after 11 consecutive days of increases.
11:59 AM
Iran attacks more ships, Dubai airport, warns U.S.-linked banks are next
New information:
- Suspected Iranian drones hit at least three additional ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz overnight, further paralyzing traffic.
- Drones hit Dubai International Airport overnight, wounding four people; the UAE says it intercepted other Iranian drones and missiles.
- Iran is now warning it will begin targeting U.S.-linked banks across the Middle East.
- The Pentagon reiterates that the U.S. has destroyed 16 Iranian mine‑laying boats near the Strait and confirms about 140 U.S. service members wounded in the first 10 days of the war.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly claims the U.S. and Israel are ‘winning’ the war and ‘rapidly meeting their objectives.’
9:45 AM
U.S. attacks Iranian mine-laying vessels near Hormuz on Day 12 of war
New information:
- Confirms Pentagon’s statement that roughly 140 U.S. soldiers have been injured in the Iran war, with eight classified as severely injured and the rest described as minor; places these injuries mainly at U.S. bases in countries neighboring Iran.
- Provides updated regional civilian death tolls attributed to the conflict: more than 1,200 killed in Iran, 570 in Lebanon, and 12 in Israel, according to Iranian, Lebanese and Israeli authorities.
- Adds that Saudi Arabia’s defense ministry intercepted and destroyed six ballistic missiles aimed at Prince Sultan Air Base (which hosts U.S. troops) and downed drones headed toward the kingdom’s eastern region.
- Reports that Kuwait’s National Guard says it downed eight drones and has gone on high alert in coordination with its army, police and other agencies.
- Details a new UKMTO report of a commercial cargo vessel struck by an unidentified projectile while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, sparking a fire and forcing crew evacuation.
- Notes Dubai authorities say two drones fell near Dubai International Airport on Wednesday, injuring four people, while air traffic continued as normal; UKMTO also reports a vessel hit by an unknown projectile northwest of Dubai with crew safe.
- Quotes new public threats from President Trump on Truth Social warning Iran to remove any mines ‘IMMEDIATELY’ from the Strait of Hormuz and promising ‘Military consequences … at a level never seen before’ if they are not removed.
- Adds Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s statement that the U.S. will not allow ‘terrorists’ to hold the strait hostage, explicitly tying U.S. naval actions to keeping the waterway open.
March 10, 2026
10:55 PM
As Iran shows no signs of surrender, U.S. launches 'most intense' day of strikes
New information:
- Trump issues a new Truth Social post explicitly warning that if mines are placed in the Strait of Hormuz and not removed, the 'military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before.'
- PBS frames the mine‑related strikes as part of the 'most intense day of strikes' inside Iran, indicating an escalation in both tempo and targeting tied to Hormuz threats, not just isolated maritime hits.
9:38 PM
U.S. destroys 16 Iranian vessels amid worries of mines in Strait of Hormuz
New information:
- U.S. Central Command publicly stated on X that 16 Iranian mine‑laying naval vessels were 'eliminated,' updating Trump’s earlier claim of 10 destroyed.
- A senior U.S. official told Axios the strike targeted inactive mine‑laying ships as a preemptive move based on intelligence that Iran was preparing to deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
- President Trump posted that the U.S. has 'no reports that mines were placed in the waterway,' even as he threatened 'military consequences' at a level 'never seen before' if Iran were to mine the Strait.
- Trump said the U.S. is using the same technology and missile capabilities previously deployed against drug traffickers to 'permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait.'
- Axios cites CNN reporting that Iran has in fact started laying mines in the Strait, but 'not extensive,' underscoring conflicting accounts between U.S. intelligence, public statements and media reporting.
8:42 PM
Iran signaling it may deploy mines to disrupt Strait of Hormuz, U.S. sources say
New information:
- U.S. officials tell CBS, on background, that Iran is preparing to deploy naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz using small craft that can carry two to three mines each.
- Estimates cited in the piece say Iran’s stockpile of naval mines is thought to be in the 2,000–6,000 range, mainly produced by Iran, China, or Russia.
- President Trump posted on Truth Social that if Iran has placed mines they must be removed 'IMMEDIATELY,' warning that failure to do so would bring 'military consequences…at a level never seen before.'
- Minutes later, Trump claimed the U.S. had 'completely destroyed' 10 inactive mine‑laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow.
- Gen. Dan Caine said in a Pentagon briefing that CENTCOM is actively hunting and striking 'mine‑laying vessels' and 'mine storage facilities.'
- CNN is separately reporting that Iran has already begun laying mines in the strait, a claim not independently confirmed in this CBS piece.
- Major maritime insurers (NorthStandard, London P&I Club, American Club) have warned they will suspend coverage for ships operating in Iranian waters and parts of the Gulf due to rising conflict risk.
2:12 PM
Iran war, 11 days in: US controls skies, oil surges and the region braces for what’s next
New information:
- The Fox article reinforces that U.S. officials see oil prices rising alongside the conflict, explicitly tying the claimed U.S.–Israeli air dominance and expanded target sets to continued energy‑market volatility.
- It adds fresh Pentagon‑level rhetoric about the trajectory of the air war—'complete control' and 'total air dominance' over Iranian airspace—that helps explain why some analysts expect further strikes, and thus more pressure on global oil flows, rather than a rapid de‑escalation.
1:49 PM
Iranian barrages target Israel and Gulf countries as Hegseth warns Iran of 'most intense day of strikes'
New information:
- The article details specific new Iranian attacks on Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, including the first reported fatality in Bahrain from this round of barrages and a drone strike‑induced fire in the UAE’s Ruwais industrial zone.
- It reports that sirens sounded in Jerusalem and explosions were heard in Tel Aviv as Israeli defenses intercepted incoming Iranian barrages, confirming ongoing direct Iran‑Israel exchanges.
- On the U.S. side, Defense Secretary Hegseth publicly promises the 'most intense day of strikes inside Iran' to date, and Gen. Dan Caine cites more than 5,000 targets hit with clearly articulated goals to degrade missiles, secure Hormuz shipping and strike Iran’s military‑industrial base.