US President Donald Trump has threatened to launch more attacks on Iran, saying the United States could strike “anytime we want,” as Iranian officials reported that the death toll from recent US military strikes had risen to 18.
At least 108 other people were reportedly wounded in the attacks, which targeted several areas along Iran’s southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest escalation followed the largest exchange of attacks between the United States and Iran since July. Iran retaliated by targeting US military bases and facilities across the Middle East, including locations in Bahrain, Iraq and Jordan.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the US had carried out a “very heavy attack” and claimed that American forces had destroyed newly built Iranian military equipment near the Strait of Hormuz.
“We’re prepared to do another one. And anytime we want,” Trump said.
Iran’s Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi said two children were among those killed. One of them was a four-year-old child who died when a wedding gathering in Kuhestak, in southern Iran, was hit. At least four people were reportedly killed in the attack.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei described the strike as a “war crime” and accused the United States of targeting civilians.
“The civilians are real. The victims are real,” Baghaei said in a statement.
Rising Tensions Around the Strait of Hormuz
The ongoing conflict has severely disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil routes. Before the war, roughly one-fifth of globally traded oil passed through the waterway.
Iran has restricted access to the strait following US and Israeli military strikes, while the United States says it remains in control of the area and is assisting vessels attempting to leave.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said two oil tankers had struck mines and become disabled while attempting to cross the strait without authorisation. Separately, Saudi shipping company Bahri said two Filipino sailors were killed in an attack on one of its vessels earlier in the week.
Iran has also added 11 more vessels to a blacklist over alleged violations of its transit rules.
Political and Economic Pressure
The six-month war has pushed oil prices higher, disrupted the global economy and created growing political difficulties for Trump ahead of the November US midterm elections.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only 31 percent of Americans supported the war, while 63 percent opposed it. Rising fuel prices have been a major concern among voters.
Brent crude has climbed to around $95 per barrel, more than 30 percent higher than at the beginning of the conflict.
Trump's approval rating has also fallen from about 40 percent to 33 percent since the war began, according to the poll.
Trump said he did not expect the renewed military campaign to continue for long and insisted that the upcoming US elections were not influencing his Iran policy.
Iran has repeatedly denied that it is seeking to develop a nuclear weapon.
Analysts say Iran may be attempting to make the conflict increasingly costly for the United States rather than seeking a conventional military victory.
The war has left Washington facing difficult strategic choices: escalating the conflict could draw the US deeper into another Middle Eastern war, while reducing military pressure could allow Tehran to portray the United States as unable to force Iran to surrender.
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