[US-Israel, Iran War Day #190] Risk of Major Conflict Escalation as Trump Threatens Pickaxe Mountain

In Brief…

• US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened on Saturday to destroy and sink Iranian oil tankers if Tehran continues attacking US Navy vessels, hours after American forces struck three Iranian tankers.
• US forces struck three Iranian crude oil tankers on Saturday after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launched ballistic missiles at two US Navy warships in regional waters, US Central Command said in a statement. Two of the tankers were hit near Iran’s Kharg Island and Jask port city.
• A video obtained by Iran International, filmed aboard a nearby vessel, captures the US military’s radio warnings to the Iranian oil tanker STARK 1 before it was struck near the Iranian port city of Jask.
• Pentagon investigators subjected around 50 members of the US Joint Staff to polygraph tests over leaks to journalists, including reports that the Iran war has depleted stocks of long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors, the New York Times reported.
• Yemeni government forces struck Houthi weapons depots and positions in al-Jawf and Marib as fighting intensified on several fronts. AFP said 129 people have been killed since the Iran-backed Houthis launched an offensive toward the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait.
• Oil prices rose again as renewed US-Iran attacks and continued disruption in the Strait of Hormuz revived supply concerns, with Brent climbing above $96 a barrel.
• US intelligence assessments suggest Tehran has gained greater confidence in its ability to strike targets across the Middle East and may be considering a significant escalation, the New York Times reported.

This is a developing story that HO1 will continue to monitor.
Check back for updates.

[UPDATE] Netanyahu says Israel must finish remaining ‘work’ on Iran