US 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 West Asia war.
Defence 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 chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the US military was targeting Iran’s ability to lay mines in the strait, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil normally travels.
Tehran blast
A large explosion rocked an area of Iran’s capital where thousands were gathered on Friday for an annual state-organised rally to support the Palestinians and call for Israel’s demise. Israel had warned that it would target the area in central Tehran.
There were no immediate reports of casualties. But the decision to proceed with the mass demonstration that was attended by some senior government officials, and Israel’s threat to target the area, underscored the fierce determination on both sides nearly two weeks into a war that has rattled the global economy and shows no sign of letting up.
The explosion in Tehran was reported in the Ferdowsi Square area, where thousands had gathered for an annual Quds Day rally in which they chanted “death to Israel” and “death to America”.
Israel had issued a warning on a Farsi-language X account for people to clear the area shortly before the blast. But few Iranians would have seen it, as authorities have almost completely shut down the Internet since the start of the war. Footage from the scene showed people chanting “God is greatest”, as smoke rose in the area.
President threats
In an interview with Fox News, US President Donald Trump said the war would end “when I feel it in my bones”.
Trump told Fox News that the US would escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz if needed, adding that the US would strike Iran “very hard over the next week”.
Asked about helping oil tankers pass through the key shipping strait, Trump said: “We would do it if we needed to. But, you know, hopefully things are going to go very well. We’re going to see what happens.” He gave no other details.
“We’re going to be hitting them very hard over the next week,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Axios reported that Trump had told G7 leaders in a virtual meeting on Wednesday that Iran is “about to surrender”.
On Truth Social, Trump on Friday derided Iran’s leaders as “deranged scumbags” and said it was his great honour to kill them.
Claim on Mojtaba
Hegseth said Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, had been “wounded and likely disfigured” in one of the attacks. The US defence secretary called Khamenei’s first known public statement, issued only on Thursday without accompanying audio or video — “a weak one”.
More strikes
Exchanges of fire by Israel, the US, Iran, and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, showed little sign of slowing on Friday. Hegseth said at the news conference that Israeli and US air forces had struck over 15,000 targets since the war started on February 28.
In Turkey, Nato air defences intercepted a missile fired from Iran andentering Turkey’s airspace on Friday, the Turkish defence 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.
Synagogue attacker
A man who rammed his truck into a Michigan synagogue on Thursday lost four family members in an airstrike in Lebanon the week before, according to an imam in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, and a Lebanese official who said he knew the man and his family.
The attacker was identified as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a naturalised US citizen who was born in Lebanon.
New York Times New Service and Agencies