President Donald Trump said the United States has gained the upper hand in the Iran conflict as Washington intensifies sanctions, U.S. forces intercept Iranian missiles and Tehran accuses the American military of causing civilian casualties in a strike in southern Iran.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is satisfied with the United States’ position in the war with Iran, arguing that American forces have established “total control of the Hormuz Strait” while mounting military and economic pressure pushes Tehran deeper into crisis.
Iran disputes Trump’s assertion that the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz and has continued attacking oil tankers attempting to move through the strategic waterway.
Trump’s comments came as the conflict continued on several fronts, including Iranian missile and drone attacks, U.S. strikes inside Iran and a rapidly expanding sanctions campaign intended to further isolate Tehran.
Iran’s economy was already under substantial pressure before Washington’s latest measures. The International Monetary Fund has projected that consumer inflation in Iran will approach 69% this year.
Trump also rejected reports suggesting that the latest U.S. military strikes were intended primarily to force Iranian leaders back into negotiations.
“I couldn’t care less if they sign a worthless, to them, agreement,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They are just playing out the inevitable. When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?”
The president’s remarks coincided with new claims from Iranian state media that a U.S. strike hit a residence where a wedding ceremony was underway in Kuhestak in southern Iran.
Ahmad Nafisi, deputy governor of Hormozgan Province, told Iranian state television by telephone that five people, including a child, were killed and at least 68 others were wounded in the strike, according to The Associated Press.
Iranian officials responded with threats of retaliation.
“Make no mistake: these crimes will not go unpunished,” Ebrahim Azizi, chairperson of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, wrote on X. “Nothing will protect them from the crushing will of Iran’s Armed Forces.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei issued a separate statement on X.
“Iran will respond to these savage crimes with firmness,” Baghaei wrote.
U.S. Central Command said it was aware of the reports but emphasized that the casualty claims had come from Iranian state media.
CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said in a statement obtained by the AP that the command was aware of reports alleging civilian casualties and noted that they “originated from Iranian state media.”
“The U.S. military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC,” Hawkins said, referring to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
While the military campaign continues, the Trump administration is simultaneously escalating economic pressure.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that newly imposed sanctions are designed to ultimately “asphyxiate the regime.”
“The currency is collapsing. Inflation is over 100%. They’re not able to pay their troops,” Bessent said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.”
He described the administration’s strategy as a progression from direct military operations to blockade measures and increasingly severe financial restrictions.
“We had the six weeks of successful kinetic strikes. Then we have imposed the blockade, which is quarantining and isolating the country, and now we are applying sanctions like they’ve never been seen before that are going to asphyxiate the regime,” Bessent said.
The Treasury Department is also preparing to use additional authorities against companies and financial channels connected to Tehran.
Bessent said officials will examine sanctions targeting airlines, maritime operators and digital assets tied to the Iranian regime.
He also issued a direct warning to governments and businesses that continue assisting Tehran.
The message came one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Russian people would stand with Iran.
“We are telling friends and foes: do not deal with this evil regime. We know who you are, you know who you are, and if we have to, we will put you out of business,” Bessent said, repeating warnings he has issued since announcing Operation Economic Outcast in late August.
“My message to everyone is stay away. We all want this conflict to end, and the fastest way for the conflict to end is for no one to provide any support to this regime,” he continued.
Iran, meanwhile, has continued launching retaliatory missiles and drones against targets in the region.
A senior U.S. official told Fox News that all American personnel were accounted for following the latest Iranian attacks and that U.S. forces intercepted “the majority of” missiles launched by Tehran.
According to the official, most of Iran’s missiles and drones were headed toward Jordan before being shot down.
The official also said no major damage had been reported at any U.S. military installation in the Middle East.
Questions remain about the extent of centralized control over Iranian military operations.
When asked who had authorized continuing attacks against commercial vessels, the U.S. official said Iran’s command-and-control structure is not centralized and that American officials remain uncertain about which members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leadership are still alive.
The expanding conflict now combines military strikes, missile defenses, maritime disruption and an increasingly aggressive U.S. economic campaign.
Trump has made clear that he does not view negotiations as the central objective of the current pressure campaign, while Bessent has described Washington’s sanctions strategy as an effort to deprive Tehran of the financial resources necessary to sustain the regime.
At the same time, Iranian officials are promising further retaliation over alleged civilian casualties, while U.S. forces continue intercepting missiles and drones launched toward American and allied positions across the region.
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