U.S. war on Iran will end when Trump feels 'objectives' are met, White House says

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When asked for an update on the timeline for ending the war, Leavitt said the U.S. Operation will end when Iran no longer poses a "credible and direct threat" to the U.S. And its allies. 

Leavitt didn't directly answer another question about whether ending Operation Epic Fury was contingent on Iran choosing a leader Trump approves of. Instead, she said the war will end when the president believes U.S. "objectives" are met. 

The U.S. Has not yet escorted ‌any oil tankers or vessels through ​the Strait of Hormuz, Leavitt told reporters.

"Though of course, that's an option that the U.S. President has said he will absolutely utilize if and when necessary at the appropriate time," she said.

Earlier today, U.S. Secretary ⁠of Energy Chris Wright posted on X that the ⁠U.S. Navy had successfully ⁠escorted an oil ⁠tanker ⁠through ​the strait "to ensure oil ​remains ⁠flowing to global markets." The post has since been deleted.

The Associated Press

The Pentagon says about 140 U.S. Service members have been wounded in the 10 days of the conflict.

"The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in an emailed statement. Eight U.S. Service members are being treated for severe injuries, he added.

This is the first insight into the broader toll of injuries sustained by U.S. Troops in the wake of a barrage of retaliatory rocket and drone strikes from Iran that have also claimed the lives of seven soldiers in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

The U.S. Military is moving to dismantle missile production infrastructure in Iran, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a news conference today.

‌Leavitt said B-2 bombers have recently ​dropped 2,000-pound ⁠bombs on ⁠what ⁠she ⁠described ​as deeply buried ​missile sites.

The world could face one of the most severe shocks to energy markets since the 1970s as we enter week two of the war in the Middle East. The sound of Hormuz, the arterial blood vessel for 20 per cent of the domain’s oil color and gaseous state, has been effectively shut down. Qatar, which makes up one fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas exports, has stopped production of LNG after Iran struck two of its sites. In the aftermath natural gas prices spiked in Asia and Europe. Jim Krane, a dude in midriff eastward vim Studies at sir tim rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is here to talk through the high stakes. Jim also reported for the Associated Press in the Middle East for years. For transcripts of face Burner, delight see: https://www.cbc.ca/ radiocommunication/frontburner/transcripts [https://www.cbc.ca/ radiocommunication/frontburner/transcripts]

I talked with Jim Krane, a fellow in Middle East Energy Studies at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, about how the war in the Middle East is sparking fears of an energy crisis that could threaten the global economy.

I asked him about how this moment compares to the big oil shocks of the 1970s, including Iran's 1979 Revolution.

"At that time, the global economy was way more oil intensive, right? We used a lot more oil per dollar of GDP than we do now. We've made enormous efficiency improvements in use of oil, especially in the transport sector," he said.

More troubling, though, was the fact the current bottleneck at the Strait of Hormuz is creating even bigger shortages than in the '70s.

"This is between 10 and 20 million barrels a day. Yes, markets have some slack in them still. They're still oversupplied, which, you know, in the '70s they were really tight," he said.

"But we have the U.S. Not as a more neutral observer this time. We're a combatant…. It's a much messier situation this time around than you had last time."

I found this historical context around past oil shocks really insightful. You can find the full conversation above or at this link.

Reuters

Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed 570 people, according to a ​report by the Lebanese government's disaster risk management unit today.

Hi, I'm Yasmine Hassan, a field producer in Jerusalem. Today our crew went to a shelter in the underground parking lot of the Dizengoff Center in Tel Aviv. Rather than cars, the fourth floor is now rows of tents belonging to people who decided to shelter there from the war.

We met Jeffrey Lubotta, a Canadian father of two who pitched his tent with his wife and children and says he's staying there for as long as it takes.

"As long as the rockets are coming ... This will be our base," he said.

Lubotta said he does take the kids outside to get some sunlight and a taste of some normalcy in their lives; during the interview he mentioned his wife is at the gym. But while war has put their lives on hold for the time being, Lubotta feels that it's a justified pause. 

"I don't get joy out of hearing about civilian deaths in Iran. This is not something that I wish had to happen," he said. "But it's not a war of choice; it's an existential war." 

U.S. Bombers were seen taking off from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer granted the U.S. Permission to use the base for what the U.K. Ministry of Defence said were "specific defensive operations" to stop Iran firing missiles into the Middle East. 

The U.S. B1-B bombers were used in Operation Desert Fox against Iraq in 1998. A year later they deployed to Kosovo as part of Operation Allied Force. They have also been used by the U.S. In strikes on Syria, Libya and Afghanistan and more recently were used in patrols along Venezuela's coast. 

The destination of the U.S. Bombers that left RAF Fairford is not publicly known.

The United States, Israel and Iran all exchanged threats on Tuesday — with each promising to see its objectives through. Here's a recap of where tensions stand:

Iran also increased pressure, hitting some Gulf states and Israel early in the day. Israel retaliated quickly, firing assaults on Tehran.

Benchmark oil prices plummeted as the war continues to disrupt oil and natural gas exports from the Middle East and force production stoppages, with concerns for the global ‌oil market mounting if the critical Strait of Hormuz does not open.

To lower gas prices globally, the Strait of Hormuz needs to be re-opened.

Dozens of oil tankers are stopped on either side of the narrow body of water, unable or unwilling to pass through amid Iranian threats to sink them. The Pentagon has been asked if it might escort those ships. France is coming up with a plan to do so.

Even though the Strait is considered short and narrow relative to the world's oceans, it's still pretty big — 150 kilometres long and 33 kilometres wide. And so it would certainly require a multinational coalition of dozens of ships to effectively protect the Strait, should the war be prolonged.

Iran's ability to fire missiles has been diminished by U.S. And Israeli strikes, but it could still target oil tankers and other cargo vessels with drones and fast attack boats.

Mitigating those threats is complicated. Many navy ships carry interceptor missiles to take down airborne threats at a distance, but they are expensive. Warships have machine guns that fire at very high rates of speed and can effectively take down a swarm of drones, but only when they are very close to their targets.

This underscores why a large number of navy vessels would be required, to create a matrix of protection across the Strait.

Fighter jets and attack helicopters are already being used to catch up to threats and take them down. They would undoubtedly be involved in any effort to protect the Strait during war.

Of course, ending the war may be the only action which would return the Strait — one of the world's most critical waterways— to its previous state.

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