Trump urges world powers to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating conflict with Iran, impacting shipping and energy supplies.
US President Donald Trump urged world powers to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the war with Iran escalated, reports Agence France-Presse.
The Gulf conflict has disrupted shipping and energy supplies, with oil prices surging 40 percent after Iran blocked the Strait and attacked facilities. Strikes hit the US embassy in Baghdad and an Emirati energy terminal in Fujairah, while Israel intensified operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Trump stated that China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK would 'hopefully' join US forces in escorting tankers through the Strait. He claimed US strikes on Kharg Island had destroyed military targets but spared energy facilities, warning that Iran was 'totally defeated' and seeking a deal he would not consider.
Iran's health ministry reported that more than 1,200 people have been killed by US and Israeli attacks, with the UN reporting up to 3.2 million displaced. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz indicated that the war was entering a decisive phase, while blasts were reported in Jerusalem and Qatar intercepted missiles.
Mojtaba Khamenei was named Iran's new supreme leader after the death of his father, though reports indicated he was wounded. Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran's Shah, declared his readiness to lead a transition. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards vowed to crush protests and imposed an internet blackout.
Fighting has spread in Lebanon, where Israeli strikes have killed at least 826 people, according to local authorities. UN chief Antonio Guterres, visiting Beirut, stated that diplomatic options remain open to end hostilities.
