JERUSALEM, Israel – The U.S. said it destroyed 16 mine-laying Iranian vessels on Tuesday after reports that Iran is ready to put mines in the Strait of Hormuz to disrupt oil shipments. Also on Tuesday, a suspected projectile hit a cargo ship in the straits, setting it on fire. Most of the crew was evacuated.
About 20 percent of the world’s oil is shipped through the channel. The Islamic Republic vowed it wouldn’t allow “even a single liter” to be shipped to its enemies.
On Truth Social, President Trump posted that if mines are placed in the straits, “The military consequences to Iran will be at the level never seen before.”
At the Pentagon, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that as U.S. strikes intensify, Iran’s attacks are falling off.
“Today will be, yet again, our most intense day of strikes inside Iran,” Hegseth stated. “The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes, intelligence, more refined and better than ever. On the other hand, the last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest number of missiles they’ve been capable of firing yet.”
Hegseth also explained why the war matters.
“The Iranians have targeted and killed thousands of my American brothers. That race to a nuclear bomb, President Trump will never allow it. Not now, not ever, not on our watch.”
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes the war is setting the stage for the Iranian people.
“Our aspiration is to enable the Iranian people to throw off the yoke of tyranny. In the end, it depends on them. But there is no doubt that through the actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones, and our hand is still extended,” he said.
Netanyahu continued, “If we succeed, together with the Iranian people, then we will bring about a permanent end, to the extent that such things exist in the life of nations. We will bring about change, and are already bringing about a tremendous change in Israel’s status.”
Yet, some Democrats warn about a U.S. ground presence.
“We seem to be on a path toward deploying American troops on the ground in Iran to accomplish any of the potential objectives.”
At the White House, CBN News White House Correspondent Kelly Wright asked Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt about the reasons for the war.
“But have people forgotten how imminent that threat was? If they keep saying, ‘Death to America, death to Israel,’ they mean it?”
Leavitt replied, “I don’t think the American people have forgotten, but I think Democrats have on Capitol Hill. They have not forgotten, but they are so plagued with this resistance to President Trump on everything they do that they can’t even rally behind the common-sense, bipartisan, long-standing principle of the United States of America, that the Islamic Republic of Iran absolutely poses a threat to the United States. That Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism, and I think that’s reflected in their voting pattern.”
Middle East analyst Dan Diker told CBN News’ Paul Petitte that this is not a “forever” war.
“This is the war to end the forever war,” he explained. “This is where President Trump’s strategic intuition and understanding completely outshines those that came before him, presidents of the United States and other leaders of the free world. This is the war to end what people call the forever war against the Iranian regime. And they’re going to do that by, as I said, completely dismantle, unscrew all of the machinery called the Islamic Republic.”
