Overview
- Iran’s apparent drone strike set ablaze a Kuwait-flagged supertanker near Dubai on Monday, with Dubai authorities later saying the fire was contained and Kuwait warning of spill risk.
- President Donald Trump warned he would destroy Iran’s electric plants, oil wells, Kharg Island and possibly desalination facilities unless Tehran reopens the Strait of Hormuz.
- Trump told allies to buy U.S. fuel or “go to the Strait and just take it,” a message he and his defense chief delivered as Iran keeps choking ship traffic through the oil chokepoint.
- The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Trump is willing to end the campaign even if Hormuz stays mostly shut, aiming to rely on later diplomacy or partner-led efforts to reopen it.
- U.S. forces have surged into the region, oil prices have jumped, and Gulf utilities have come under fire, including a Kuwait power and desalination site where authorities said a worker was killed.