U.S. strikes Iran again as Tehran targets American allies in Gulf region

Key Points:

• The U.S. launched missile strikes on Iran's southern coast, reportedly hitting a home near the Strait of Hormuz during a wedding, killing at least four people including two children, and injuring 68 others.
• The U.S. military stated it targets only Iranian military sites, with a regional source confirming a communications tower was hit amid a broader campaign against Iranian military targets following Iran's attacks on commercial ships and U.S. forces.
• Iran retaliated with drone and missile attacks against U.S. bases in Kuwait and Jordan, which were intercepted, while the U.S. struck two Iranian government tankers and nearly 100 military targets under a new tanker-for-tanker policy.
• President Trump asserted U.S. control over the Strait of Hormuz and warned of continued strikes, as the conflict caused a spike in oil prices and global market instability.
• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized that U.S. sanctions and military actions aim to cripple the Iranian regime, noting a G20 consensus on the unsustainability of Chinese exports to Iran despite China's dissent, and confirmed no U.S. economic cooperation with Russia until the Ukraine war ends.