Trump warns of further strikes as Iran death toll rises to 18

President Donald Trump told reporters the United States could strike Iran "anytime we want" after a series of U.S. attacks on Iranian targets along the southern coast killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 100. The strikes hit several locations, including a wedding party in the city of Kuhestak, where four civilians, among them a four-year-old child, were killed, Iran’s health minister said.

"We hit them very hard last night," Trump said, adding that the attacks "took out all of the new equipment that they tried to build along the Strait of Hormuz" and that the United States was "prepared to do another one. And anytime we want."

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman described the Kuhestak strike as a "war crime" and rejected U.S. claims that civilians were not targeted. Iran also launched retaliatory attacks on U.S. bases in Bahrain, Iraq and Jordan.

The conflict has disrupted oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, raising Brent crude prices to about $95 a barrel, a rise of more than 30 % since the fighting resumed. A Reuters-Ipsos poll found 63 % of Americans disapprove of the war, and President Trump’s approval rating fell to 33 %.

Former Pakistani lieutenant-general Tariq Khan said the United States faces an "uncomfortable strategic position" as Iran seeks to make the war costly for Washington, noting that Iran’s closure of the strait has limited maritime traffic to a few vessels per day.

The United States continues to assert control over the strait, with Trump claiming U.S. forces are escorting dozens of ships daily, a sharp decline from the pre-war average of about 130 vessels.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported two oil tankers struck mines while attempting an unauthorized transit, and the Persian Gulf Strait Authority added 11 more vessels to a blacklist for alleged non-compliance.