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The military forces of United States issued an urgent warning to Iranian civilians on Wednesday to evacuate the ports along the Strait of Hormuz, where naval units from Iran are positioned, a clear indication that Washington views these facilities as legitimate military targets. Thus, Fox News reported in real-time from the conflict zone.
The warning comes on the 12th day of the armed conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, and one day after the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) destroyed 16 Iranian vessels dedicated to laying mines near the strait. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described that operation as "the most intense raid since the start of the war."
President Donald Trump issued a stern warning on Tuesday regarding the consequences of Iranian mines: "If Iran halts the flow of oil in the Strait, it will be struck by the United States twenty times harder than it has been hit so far." He also threatened with consequences of an unprecedented level if Tehran did not remove the mines.
This Wednesday, Iranian drones attacked at least three cargo ships in the area, including the Thai-flagged Mayuree Naree and the Japanese container ship One Majesty, which reported a 10-centimeter hole in its hull 25 nautical miles northwest of Ras al-Khaimah, near Dubai.
Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has dramatically collapsed: from 141 vessels recorded on February 27 to only 4 on March 8, a decline of 97 %, according to data from Crisis Group. Iran has also deployed electronic interference affecting the automatic identification system (AIS) of vessels in the area.
The strait is a critical energy artery for the global economy: approximately 20% of the world's oil passes through it, equivalent to about 16.7 million barrels per day. Since the onset of the conflict, the price of Brent crude has increased by more than 15%, surpassing 80 dollars per barrel, with analysts warning it could reach 100 dollars.
The conflict began on February 28 with Operation Epic Fury, a joint offensive by the U.S. and Israel that targeted over 1,700 Iranian sites in the first 72 hours, including nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow. In those attacks, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed. His son Mojtaba Khamenei assumed leadership, although he is reported to be injured and his whereabouts are uncertain.
The United States has deployed more than 50,000 soldiers, 200 aircraft, and two aircraft carriers, the USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS Abraham Lincoln, in the region. At least 6 American soldiers have died in the conflict, 4 of them in Kuwait due to drone attacks on March 1, and at least 140 personnel were injured in the first ten days.
Trump noted on Monday that it was possible to negotiate with Iran under certain conditions, though his warning this Wednesday about civilian ports suggests that military pressure on Tehran continues to escalate without pause.
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