Iran claims new naval mines laid in Strait of Hormuz

Iran claimed on Thursday that it laid additional naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, while mockingly dismissing US claims of control over the strategic passage.

"During last night's operation, more naval mines were laid along the illicit routes south of the Strait of Hormuz," Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, wrote on US social media company X.

Zolfaghari mocked US President Donald Trump’s suggestion to rename the waterway "Trump Strait," claiming the only action that the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military operations in the Middle East, could manage in response was to "rename the Strait using Photoshop." He joked that Washington could likewise "use Photoshop to get the oil tankers through" the passage.

The remarks came amid a sharp dispute between Washington and Tehran. CENTCOM previously declared that all sea mines had been cleared from the transit routes, and rejected reports of tankers hitting mines as disinformation. Trump recently said that all mines had been removed from the strait, and warned of a “zero tolerance policy” on new mine placement.

Tehran maintains deliberate opacity regarding the minefields, asserting that only Iranian forces know their exact locations.

The number of mines newly deployed during the overnight operation remains unknown.

Kuwait says air defences responding to Iranian missile, drone threats

Kuwaiti air defences are engaging hostile missile and drone attacks from Iran, the army said on Thursday.

"Kuwaiti air defences are currently responding to hostile missile and drone threats," the General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces wrote on US social media company X.

The army confirmed that any explosions heard are the result of air defence systems intercepting "hostile targets." The public was urged to adhere to safety and security instructions issued by authorities.

The Iranian IRIB news agency claimed US military bases in Kuwait were struck during the operation. It reported one of the bases was hit, sending plumes of smoke rising.

Iran has not commented on the attack.

A previous month-long lull in direct fighting was recently broken after a US strike on Larak Island prompted direct Iranian retaliatory waves across the Gulf, including against the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Since the start of US-Israeli operations against Iran on February 28, 2026, Kuwait has been one of the most targeted nations hosting US forces.

Iran insists its attacks target the US military presence in Kuwait rather than the Kuwaiti populace, and demanded the immediate withdrawal of US forces from the country.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Wednesday that it targeted the headquarters and accommodation of the US commander at the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.

Trump weighs ending Iran war as Pentagon extends deployments: report

US President Donald Trump is privately considering declaring the war with Iran over, even as the Pentagon quietly extends troop deployments in the Middle East, according to a Wall Street Journal report Wednesday.

The newspaper reported that Trump has discussed with senior aides "whether to declare the Iran war over," a move the president reportedly "favours." He believes that maintaining intense economic pressure will eventually force Tehran to "either dismantle its nuclear program or collapse."

The US launched Operation Economic Outcast last week, targeting Iran’s key economic lifelines, including its oil, shipping, aviation, gold, technology and digital asset sectors.

Despite the private discussions, the Pentagon is extending deployments in a sign that the war could drag "well into next year.”

The military is maintaining 50,000 troops and 19 warships, including two aircraft carriers and 13 guided-missile destroyers, to provide the president with operational "flexibility.

US forces escort 18M barrels of oil through Strait of Hormuz: report

The US military escorted 40 commercial vessels Tuesday that were carrying 18 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, CNN reported Wednesday, marking a wartime high for the operations.

US forces struck nearly 60 Iranian military targets around the waterway during the operation, two US officials familiar with the operation told CNN.

The operation targeted Iranian air defence sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications installations. US forces also destroyed several anti-ship cruise missiles during the escort.

Before the war began more than six months ago, roughly 20 million barrels of oil transited the strait daily. On Monday, more than 17 million barrels passed through, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC.

US military officials anticipate additional strikes near the strait in the coming days, said one of the officials, as he claimed Iranian forces have demonstrated the ability to rebuild their capabilities quickly, requiring sustained offensive pressure.

The US and Iran remain locked in a bitter dispute about control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments. Fighting has repeatedly flared around the waterway since the war began in late February.

US President Donald Trump declared American dominance over the strait. "We now control the Strait of Hormuz. We control it...They get nothing, and we took out ships," Trump said Wednesday.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump floated renaming the waterway. "Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to Trump Strait???," he wrote.

Tehran has rejected Washington's assertions of control. Iranian officials have repeatedly stated the strait will remain closed or heavily restricted until the US meets conditions tied to an interim deal reached in June.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has dismissed US claims that the strait is "open," accusing Washington of manipulating oil markets and concealing military failures.