The U.S. military said Tuesday it had destroyed 16 Iranian vessels used for mine-laying in Gulf waters, releasing declassified images of some of the craft as evidence, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that there were no reports of Iran placing explosives in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard simultaneously vowed it would not allow “a single liter” of oil to be exported from the region to hostile nations.

The conflicting signals emerged on the 11th day of the U.S.-Iran war, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged the most intense U.S. strikes yet and the Pentagon disclosed that seven American service members have been killed and approximately 140 wounded since the conflict began.

The fighting has spread across the Middle East — with Iranian attacks striking Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Iraq — while oil tankers are being rerouted away from the Strait of Hormuz, the passage through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil flows, raising concerns about prolonged disruption to global energy supplies.

Mine vessels and Trump’s conflicting claim

The U.S. military released the vessel count after Trump had threatened on social media to hit Iran “at a level never before seen” if the country did not immediately remove any mines it had deployed in the waterway. Trump separately posted that there were no reports of Iran placing explosives in the strait.

General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces had struck more than 5,000 targets since the conflict began. Hegseth promised the most intense strikes yet.

The Pentagon reported separately that approximately 140 U.S. military personnel have been wounded. The department said the “vast majority” of injuries were minor; 108 service members have returned to duty; eight have been seriously wounded; and seven have died.

Iran vows no ceasefire, threatens Trump

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued a statement vowing that it “will not allow the export of a single liter of oil from the region to the hostile side and its partners until further notice.” Iranian officials rejected any negotiations and ordered new strikes against Israel and Persian Gulf Arab states.

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, wrote on X: “We are definitely not seeking a ceasefire.” A senior Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, addressed Trump directly on the same platform: “Even those bigger than you could not eliminate Iran. Be careful that it is not you who gets eliminated.” Iran has previously been accused of planning assassination attempts against Trump.

Residents of Tehran told the Associated Press — speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal — that they experienced some of the war’s most intense bombardments. Tens of thousands of Iranians have sought shelter in rural areas.

Strikes across the Gulf

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said early Wednesday it had intercepted several missiles fired at multiple locations, including Prince Sultan Air Base, a major installation operated jointly by the United States and Saudi Arabia. The ministry said it also destroyed drones near cities and others headed toward the Shaybah oil field.

In Iraq, drones struck military bases inside Baghdad International Airport on Tuesday, according to two Iraqi security officials who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Some drones fell near Iraqi security positions; others struck near logistical support facilities used by U.S.-led coalition forces.

The UAE said early Wednesday that its air defenses were intercepting Iranian projectiles. The government said Iranian attacks had killed six people and wounded 122 in the country, which includes Dubai.

Sirens activated in Bahrain on Wednesday morning warning of an imminent Iranian attack. The previous day, an Iranian projectile struck a residential building in Manama, the capital, killing a 29-year-old woman and wounding eight others.

Lebanon casualties mount

Israeli strikes killed seven people in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. A Red Cross member died Wednesday after being wounded in an Israeli strike on his rescue unit Monday. Israeli bombardments killed four people Tuesday, including a paramedic affiliated with a Hezbollah-linked health authority who was treating the wounded. An Israeli strike also killed one Lebanese soldier, bringing to five the number of Lebanese military personnel killed since the conflict began.

Israel said it was working to intercept missiles from Iran and Hezbollah, which began striking Israeli territory after the war erupted.

Fatality counts reported by officials placed at least 1,230 dead in Iran, more than 480 in Lebanon, and 12 in Israel.

Energy markets and oil rerouting

Saudi Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser said tankers were being rerouted to avoid the strait and that the company’s east-west pipeline would reach its maximum capacity of 7 million barrels per day this week, moving crude to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

“The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is preventing the passage of considerable volumes of oil from the entire region,” Nasser said. “If this goes on for a long time, that will have a serious impact on the global economy.”

Oil prices remained well below their Monday peaks, and U.S. stock markets were relatively stable as investors awaited further signals about the conflict’s direction and duration.

Mass displacement and evacuations

The United Nations refugee agency said Tuesday that more than 667,000 people in Lebanon had registered as displaced — an increase of 100,000 from the previous day — and that more than 85,000 people, mostly Syrians, had crossed from Lebanon into neighboring Syria.

British Airways said it had suspended flights to and from Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Dubai, and Tel Aviv through the end of the month. The British government said more than 45,000 U.K. nationals had left the Gulf region since the start of the conflict. Approximately 40,000 Americans had returned to the United States, according to the State Department.

Washington scrutiny

In Washington, the Trump administration faced growing scrutiny over the conflict. Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen said after a classified congressional briefing: “I’m not sure what the end goal is, or what the plans are.”