US claims to have taken out Iran’s mine-laying vessels

The United States said it took out more than a dozen mine-laying Iranian vessels on Tuesday as the Islamic Republic vowed to block the region’s oil exports, saying not “even a single litre” would be shipped to its enemies.

As concerns grew about the war’s effect on a strategic waterway, the American military said it destroyed 16 minelayers, though President Donald Trump said in social media posts that there were no reports of Iran planting explosives in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil is shipped.

The American military released the figure, along with unclassified footage of some of the vessels, after Mr Trump threatened to hit Iran at “a level never seen before” if the country failed to immediately remove any mines it might have deployed in the channel.

Both sides sharpened their rhetoric as the war entered its 11th day. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth promised the most intense strikes yet, while the Pentagon detailed the broader toll of injuries sustained by US troops.

The conflict’s effects rippled across the Middle East and beyond. Iranian leaders ruled out talks, threatened Mr Trump and launched new attacks against Israel and Gulf Arab countries.

In Iran, residents of Tehran said they experienced some of the war’s heaviest strikes. A woman said she saw a residential building get hit.

She and others reached by The Associated Press spoke on condition of anonymity to prevent reprisals. Tens of thousands of Iranians have sought shelter in the countryside.

Multiple Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon killed seven people, the Lebanese Health Ministry said early on Wednesday.

Other deaths included a Red Cross member who died after an Israeli strike targeted his team on Monday while they were rescuing people following an earlier attack, the health ministry said.

On Tuesday, Israeli airstrikes killed four people, including a paramedic who worked for the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Authority, who was treating the wounded.

Also on Tuesday, an Israeli strike killed a Lebanese soldier, the Lebanese army said, bringing the number of troops killed there to five since the conflict began.

Israel said it was working to intercept missiles from Iran and Hezbollah, which began firing on Israel after the start of the war.

Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said early on Wednesday that it intercepted multiple missiles launched toward several sites, including Prince Sultan Air Base, a major US- and Saudi-operated air facility.

The ministry said it also destroyed drones near two major cities.

The Pentagon said that about 140 US service members have been wounded in the war, and the “vast majority” of the injuries were minor, with 108 service members already back on duty.

Eight US service members suffered severe injuries, and seven have been killed.

In Iran, at least 1,230 people have been killed, while the death toll is more than 480 in Lebanon and 12 in Israel, according to officials.

A top Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, posted a warning to Mr Trump, writing on X that “Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself”.