The Pentagon disclosed that almost 100 US service members sustained injuries over the preceding two weeks amid intensifying military exchanges with Iran. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that the majority of those injured experienced minor concussions, with 96 percent returning to duty. The acknowledgment came in response to reporting that the Defense Department had previously withheld information regarding casualty figures from Iranian strikes. Additionally, three US soldiers have been killed in action in Jordan and Iraq during this period.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced they had targeted US military installations, including air defense systems and radar facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, marking the tenth consecutive night of strikes. An unidentified vessel in the Strait of Hormuz reported being struck by a projectile of unknown origin, prompting the crew to evacuate to lifeboats. Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan all reported activating defensive systems to counter the attacks. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency received multiple reports of a tanker being struck by an unknown projectile east of Oman, with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards subsequently claiming responsibility for this incident and two additional maritime attacks.
The escalating conflict is creating significant disruptions to global shipping and energy markets. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles roughly one-fifth of global crude oil and natural gas trade during peacetime, has largely stalled. Additionally, Yemen’s Houthi forces, backed by Iran, announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, threatening to close the Bab al-Mandeb strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, through which approximately 12 percent of global trade normally passes. Saudi Arabia’s military stated it would maintain the waterway’s accessibility, though the situation threatens further pressure on the kingdom’s oil exports.
The military escalation has prompted elevated oil prices, with Brent crude trading above $88 per barrel and average petrol prices in the US reaching approximately $4 per gallon. Meanwhile, Iran’s interior minister traveled to Pakistan, a key mediator in the dispute, for discussions, though prospects for a new agreement remain unclear after a previous interim accord signed last month collapsed. Both the United States and Iran have targeted civilian infrastructure during the intensifying conflict.