00:00The United States launched fresh waves of airstrikes against Iran Wednesday, while Tehran is threatening
00:06to shut down not just the Strait of Hormuz, but other major energy shipping routes across
00:10the Middle East. The latest U.S. strikes began early Wednesday morning and again Wednesday
00:15afternoon, with Central Command saying American forces targeted Iranian military capabilities
00:19that are used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation comes just
00:24one day after the U.S. reimposed its naval blockade of Iranian ports. According to the
00:29Pentagon, two commercial vessels attempting to leave Iran have already been intercepted.
00:33Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed until
00:38what it called the end of America's evil. The regime also warned it could target other critical
00:43energy corridors, including the Bab el-Mandev Strait near Yemen, a vital shipping lane that
00:49handles about a trillion dollars in global trade each year. On top of all that, the rhetoric
00:53inside Iran is growing even more aggressive. A former Iranian foreign minister and current
00:57member of parliament called for a ground assault on a U.S. military base in the region to capture
01:02100 American service members and take them back to Iran as hostages. Meanwhile, the back and forth
01:08in the Strait of Hormuz continues. The U.S. says Iran attacked seven commercial ships in the past week,
01:14leaving multiple mariners dead, missing, or injured. Iran, for its part, says it fired warning
01:19shots at ships that did not use the routes it approves. The renewed fighting has sent oil prices
01:24higher once again, raising new concerns about global energy supplies and the risk
01:28of an even broader regional conflict.
Comments