Trump says U.S. not forcing Iran to negotiate after latest strikes

U.S. military aircraft struck multiple Iranian Revolutionary Guard sites on Tuesday, targeting air-defence, communications and radar installations, the Central Command said in a post on X. The strikes were presented as retaliation for what Washington described as recent Iranian attempts to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. service members.

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the United States is not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table and emphasized that the U.S. has "almost total control" of the Strait of Hormuz, adding that Tehran’s economy is collapsing.

Iran responded by launching missiles toward Jordan, a U.S. ally. Jordanian armed forces reported that 10 of 13 missiles were intercepted, with the remaining three falling in remote areas and causing no casualties. Bahrain’s military also said it had shot down several Iranian air strikes after an interior-ministry alert of a potential threat.

The escalation coincided with a rise in oil prices in Asian markets; Brent crude climbed 4.5% to $94.52 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures rose about 5% to $90.03, levels not seen since late July.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business that the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz could diminish within two years as oil flows increasingly through land pipelines, bypassing the waterway.

The latest exchange marks the first direct U.S.–Iran attacks in roughly a month, following earlier U.S. strikes on rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak Island, which Washington said were preparing sea-mine-laden rockets for the Hormuz Strait.