President Trump announced Saturday that the United States and allied nations will send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to force it back open to commercial shipping. The announcement came a day after the US military conducted one of its most significant single strikes of the war, bombing more than 90 military targets on Kharg Island, the hub through which roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports flow. The Iran war has now entered its fifteenth day. Thirteen US service members have been killed.
The Kharg Island Strike
US Air Force bombers struck Kharg Island late Friday in what Trump called “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East.” CENTCOM confirmed it destroyed more than 90 military targets, including missile storage sites, mine storage facilities and military infrastructure protecting the island’s oil terminal. Trump said he deliberately spared the oil infrastructure on the island for “reasons of decency” but issued a direct warning: if Iran continues to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, he will “immediately reconsider” that decision. Iran’s military joint command responded by threatening to strike “all oil, economic and energy infrastructures belonging to oil companies across the region that have American shares or cooperate with America” if Iran’s own oil infrastructure is hit. The IRGC declared the Strait “remains under our navy’s control.” (NPR, RFE/RL, ITV News)
Satellite imagery from TankerTrackers.com showed all 55 crude oil storage tanks on Kharg Island appeared intact the morning after the strikes, with two Iranian tankers loading 2.7 million barrels of crude oil at the terminal. Iran’s deputy governor of Bushehr province said export operations were ongoing and there were no casualties. (Euronews)
The Naval Buildup
Defense Secretary Hegseth approved a request from US Central Command for the deployment of the USS Tripoli, a Japan-based amphibious assault ship, along with guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls and guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, typically consisting of around 2,500 to 5,000 Marines and sailors, is deploying with the Tripoli. Marine Expeditionary Units are designed for rapid deployment and are among the most versatile formations in the US military. Officials declined to comment on whether ground operations in Iran or on Kharg Island are being planned. (NPR, RFE/RL, The Week)
The USS Tripoli was spotted by commercial satellites sailing alone near Taiwan, placing it more than a week away from the waters off Iran. The US Navy already has 12 ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and eight destroyers, operating in the Arabian Sea. (ITV News)
The International Coalition Ask
Trump called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK and other affected nations to send warships to the area. The UK’s counter-drone forces in the Middle East shot down multiple drones overnight as part of efforts to defend British bases in Qatar, Cyprus, the UAE and Bahrain. French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris is ready to host direct talks between Lebanese leaders and Israel. Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi called Trump’s appeal to allies “begging” and said the Strait was closed only to those attacking Iran and their allies. He urged neighboring nations to “expel foreign aggressors.” (ITV News, Euronews)
Trump acknowledged in a Fox News Radio interview that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be helping Iran in its military efforts, saying “I think he might be helping them a little bit, yeah, I guess.” Special envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed Trump had spoken directly with Putin earlier in the week. (Yahoo News)
Other Key Developments
A missile struck a helipad inside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad. The missile landed within the embassy’s boundaries. Two Iraqi security officials confirmed the strike. No casualties were immediately reported. Israel’s defense minister said the war was entering a “decisive phase.” A senior regional official told NPR they expected the war to last at least another week and that Israeli leaders increasingly believe the conflict will end unilaterally rather than through a negotiated agreement. In such a scenario, Iran and allied groups including Hezbollah and Houthi rebels in Yemen could establish a new pattern of intermittent fire at Israel. The cumulative death toll now stands at more than 1,300 in Iran, 773 in Lebanon and 12 civilians in Israel, along with two Israeli soldiers. Thirteen American service members have been killed, including six Air Force crew members who died when a refueling tanker crashed over western Iraq during combat operations. (NPR, ITV News)
Why This Matters to You
Kharg Island is the economic heart of Iran’s oil industry. By striking its military infrastructure while sparing its oil terminal, Trump has put Iran on notice that the next escalation could take out the facilities Iran needs to fund its government and military. That is an extraordinary level of leverage. It also creates an extraordinary level of risk. If Iran responds by attacking Gulf oil infrastructure as threatened, the resulting supply shock could dwarf what markets have already absorbed.
For everyday Americans, the deployment of thousands more Marines and additional warships signals this conflict is not winding down despite Trump’s “very soon” language earlier in the week. It is worth thinking about: If the US intends to escort commercial tankers through the Strait, is the military adequately prepared to defend them against Iran’s remaining anti-ship missile capability? With Trump acknowledging Putin may be helping Iran while simultaneously claiming to be in contact with him, what is the actual state of US-Russia relations right now? And with thirteen Americans now dead and the war entering its third week, at what point does Congress reassert its war powers authority?
