U.S. officials on Friday vowed to thwart Iran’s attempts to block the Strait of Hormuz, as oil markets appeared largely unmoved by the Trump administration’s efforts to avert an energy crisis stemming from the Middle East war.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a news conference that the disruptions in the strait were “something we are dealing with,” adding: “Don’t need to worry about it.” Gen. Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. military was targeting Iran’s ability to lay mines in the strait, through which 20% of the world’s oil normally travels.
“There’s a reason why we chose as one of our primary objectives to destroy their navy,” Hegseth said. “We have a plan for every option here,” he added. “That’s not a strait we’re going to allow to remain contested.”
The war in the Middle East has killed more than 2,000 people over the past two weeks, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, and displaced millions of others. Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed to keep blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a move that has disrupted global energy supplies and rattled financial markets.
Exchanges of fire by Israel; the United States; Iran; and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah; showed little sign of slowing Friday. Hegseth said at the news conference that Israeli and U.S. air forces had struck over 15,000 targets since the war started on Feb. 28.
In Tehran, Iran’s capital, Iranians thronged the streets for an annual anti-Israel rally. An explosion was seen close to where crowds had gathered, according to videos shared by Iranian state television. It was not immediately clear what had caused the blast, but earlier in the day Israel had warned of more strikes in Tehran.
In Turkey, NATO air defenses intercepted a missile fired from Iran and entering Turkey’s airspace Friday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said. It was the third such interception of an Iranian missile over Turkey in 10 days.
In Lebanon, the Israeli military escalated its attacks against Hezbollah, carrying out strikes beyond the group’s traditional strongholds, including in parts of Beirut once considered comparatively safe.
More than 800,000 people have fled their homes in Lebanon, fearing the war’s possible expansion.
Across the border, a missile attack in northern Israel on Friday damaged homes and injured dozens of people, Israel’s emergency medical service said. Hezbollah said it had launched missiles toward northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon.