US officials said they had moved to neutralize a minelaying threat in the Strait of Hormuz as the Iran-Israel war entered its 11th day, releasing a reported count of Iranian vessels destroyed and footage showing some of the targets.
The U.S. said it took out more than a dozen Iranian minelaying vessels on Tuesday, and the American military released a figure of 16 minelayers along with unclassified footage of some vessels after President Donald Trump warned that the U.S. would respond at “a level never seen before” if mines were not removed from the channel.
Trump simultaneously used social media to say there were “no reports” of Iran planting explosives in the strait, even as the military’s public release and the growing alarm among allies pointed to the potential impact on one of the world’s most strategically important waterways, through which about 20% of the world’s oil is shipped.
As the U.S. and Iran escalated their messaging, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised the “most intense strikes yet,” while the Pentagon described the broader toll of injuries sustained by U.S. troops. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces hit more than 5,000 targets.
Beyond the official military briefings, the conflict’s effects spread across the region. Iranian leaders ruled out talks, threatened Trump, and launched new attacks against Israel and Gulf Arab countries, while residents in Tehran described some of the war’s heaviest strikes and said tens of thousands had sought shelter in the countryside.
In Lebanon, the Lebanese Health Ministry said multiple Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon killed seven people early Wednesday. The ministry said a Red Cross member died early Wednesday after an Israeli strike targeted his team Monday while they were rescuing people, and that on Tuesday Israeli airstrikes killed four people, including a paramedic who worked for the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Authority while treating the wounded.
Lebanon also reported military losses. The Lebanese army said an Israeli strike killed a Lebanese soldier, bringing to five the number of troops killed there since the conflict began, as Israel said it worked to intercept missiles from Iran and Hezbollah, which began firing on Israel after the war’s start.
Several Gulf governments reported defensive actions against missiles and drones. Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said early Wednesday that it intercepted multiple missiles launched toward several sites, including Prince Sultan Air Base, and that it also destroyed drones near two major cities, with more headed toward the kingdom’s vast Shaybah oil field in the Empty Quarter desert. The United Arab Emirates said its air defenses were firing at incoming Iranian fire, reporting six people killed and 122 others wounded, while Bahrain sounded sirens warning of an incoming Iranian attack after an earlier attack hit a residential building in Manama.
Iraq also faced air activity tied to the conflict. Two Iraqi security officials told AP on condition of anonymity that drones targeted military bases inside Baghdad International Airport late Tuesday; the officials said some drones fell near Iraqi security positions and others landed near logistical support sites used by U.S.-led coalition forces.
The U.S. injury and death figures continued to accumulate as the military campaign expanded. The Pentagon said about 140 U.S. service members had been wounded, describing the injuries as mostly minor, with 108 already back on duty, eight suffering severe injuries, and seven killed.
Iran’s stance remained defiant as its leaders rejected ceasefire prospects. Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said on X that Iran was “definitely not looking for a ceasefire,” adding that he believed the “aggressor should be punched in the mouth.” A top Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, also posted a warning to Trump on X, writing: “Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself.”