U.S. and Iran Exchange Threats as War Shows No Sign of Ending

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s attacks on regional oil infrastructure and its threats to choke off maritime traffic kept markets on edge Tuesday. Meanwhile, the United States was promising new strikes. The war, which began 11 days ago, showed no clear sign of ending. Its effects were being felt across the Middle East and beyond.

Both sides hardened their positions. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised new attacks, the most intense so far. At the same time, Iran’s leaders ruled out talks and directly threatened U.S. President Donald Trump.

Iran launched new attacks Tuesday against Israel and Arab countries in the Persian Gulf. Israel, for its part, bombed targets in Iran and Lebanon, where it is fighting Hezbollah.

Residents of Tehran said they had experienced some of the most intense attacks of the war. The strikes caused power outages in many neighborhoods of the capital. One woman said she saw a residential building being hit. She and others contacted by The Associated Press spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid reprisals. Tens of thousands of Iranians have sought refuge in the countryside.

Death toll rises in the Persian Gulf

Key Takeaways

• Iran’s recent attacks on oil infrastructure have kept markets on edge and heightened tensions across the region.
• The United States has promised to intensify its attacks, while Iran has reiterated its defiant stance and directly threatened U.S. leaders.
• The death toll continues to rise, with at least 1,230 killed in Iran and 397 in Lebanon since the war began.
• Iran is escalating its attacks to pressure the United States and Israel, disrupting oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
• Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting, with more than 667,000 displaced people registered in Lebanon.

The United Arab Emirates reported two additional deaths after nine drones struck the country. Nearly three dozen drones and missiles were intercepted. In the UAE, firefighters were battling a blaze in the industrial area of Ruwais. Ruwais is home to petrochemical plants. Authorities said the fire broke out after an Iranian drone attack. No injuries were reported.

The attacks on the wealthy Gulf nation have killed six people and injured another 122 since the United States and Israel began their strikes on Iran on February 28.

In Bahrain, authorities said an Iranian strike hit a residential building in Manama, the capital, killing a 29-year-old woman and injuring eight others. Bahrain’s Defense Ministry said it has intercepted more than 100 ballistic missiles and 175 drones since the war began.

Sirens also sounded in Jerusalem, and explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv. Israeli defense systems were working to intercept barrages coming from Iran. Hezbollah, which began firing on Israel after the start of the war, also launched missiles toward Israel.

U.S. and Iranian leaders exchange threats

At the Pentagon, Hegseth said Tuesday would once again be the most intense day of attacks in Iran. He said there would be more fighter jets, more bombers, and more strikes. He also said intelligence would be more precise and better than ever. He added that, over the past 24 hours, Iran had fired the fewest missiles since the war began.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. armed forces had struck more than 5,000 targets.

The Pentagon said separately on Tuesday that about 140 U.S. service members have been wounded since the war began. It said the “vast majority” of those injuries were minor and that 108 troops had already returned to duty. Eight U.S. service members have been “seriously wounded,” and seven have died.

In Iran, at least 1,230 people have been killed. Meanwhile, the death toll stands at at least 397 in Lebanon and 12 in Israel, according to officials.

Iran’s leaders remain defiant after days of heavy attacks targeting the country’s government, military, ballistic missiles, and nuclear program. “We definitely are not seeking a ceasefire,” Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote defiantly on X.

“We believe the aggressor must be punched in the mouth. That way, it will learn its lesson and never again think of attacking our beloved Iran,” he said.

A senior Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, posted a warning to Trump on X: “Even people more powerful than you could not eliminate Iran. Be careful that it is not you who gets eliminated.” In the past, Iran has been accused of plotting attempts to kill Trump.

Attacks aimed at pressuring the U.S.

Iran has repeatedly struck energy infrastructure in attacks that appear designed to inflict enough pain on the global economy to pressure the United States and Israel into ending their strikes. It has also fired at Israel and at U.S. military bases in the region.

Brent crude, the international benchmark, surged to nearly $120 on Monday before falling back. Still, it was hovering around $90 a barrel on Tuesday, nearly 24% higher than when the war began. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped slightly early Tuesday but turned positive as oil prices fell and hopes grew that wealthy industrialized nations could tap strategic reserves.

Iran has effectively blocked oil tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil is transported.

Trump said Tuesday that the United States had “completely destroyed” 10 inactive minelaying vessels following reports of Iranian activity in the strait.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reiterated its position in a statement, saying it “will not allow the export of even a single liter of oil” from the region to the hostile camp and its partners until further notice.

Meanwhile, Amin Nasser, president and CEO of Saudi oil giant Aramco, said ships were being rerouted to avoid the Strait of Hormuz. He added that the company’s east-west pipeline would reach its installed capacity of 7 million barrels per day this week, with barrels being moved to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea.

“The situation in the Strait of Hormuz is preventing the passage of considerable volumes of oil from across the region,” he said. “If this lasts a long time, it will have a serious impact on the global economy.”

Hundreds of thousands displaced by the fighting

The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday that more than 667,000 people in Lebanon had registered as displaced, an increase of more than 100,000 from the previous day. In addition, more than 85,000 people from Lebanon, mostly Syrians, had entered neighboring Syria.

The British government said the number of commercial flights from the United Arab Emirates to the United Kingdom is returning to near-normal levels. There were 32 flights operated from Dubai to the U.K. on Monday and another 36 scheduled for Tuesday. However, British Airways said it has suspended flights to and from Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Dubai, and Tel Aviv until the end of this month.

Many foreign nationals have left the Persian Gulf region since the war began, including more than 45,000 British citizens, according to the U.K. Foreign Office. About 40,000 people have returned to the United States, according to the State Department.