Iran accused the United States and Israel on Tuesday of bombing nearly 10,000 civilian sites and killing more than 1,300 civilians since the war began 11 days ago, sharply escalating its public case that the campaign has targeted nonmilitary infrastructure.
Iran Raises Civilian Toll Allegations
According to a CNN update, speaking to reporters at a UN media stakeout, Iran’s U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, accused America and Israel of deliberately targeting civilians, claiming that almost 10,000 civilian sites have been hit in the country, including about 8,000 residential homes. Iravani said strikes had hit “populated residential areas” and “critical civilian infrastructure” in what he called “horrific crimes.”
Benzinga has requested comment from the Department of War and will update this story when a response is received.
U.S. Expands Pressure In Hormuz
The Iranian claims landed as the U.S. military widened its campaign around the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported on Tuesday that U.S. forces destroyed multiple Iranian naval vessels, including 16 mine-laying ships near the strait, after President Donald Trump warned Tehran to remove any mines “IMMEDIATELY!” if it had deployed them.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, meanwhile, said U.S. forces were “eliminating inactive mine-laying vessels” and would not let Tehran hold the waterway “hostage.”
Reuters said the Pentagon also reported more than 5,000 U.S. strikes since the war began on Feb. 28, hitting over 50 Iranian naval vessels, while noting that the strait normally carries about 20% of the world’s oil and that daily tanker passages had fallen to zero last week from 37 before the war began.
Escort Confusion Adds Fresh Market Jitters
At the same time, the White House said no U.S. naval escort has yet taken an oil tanker through Hormuz, contradicting a now-deleted social media post from Energy Secretary Chris Wright that claimed one had. Reuters reported White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, “The United States has not yet escorted any oil tankers or vessels through the Strait of Hormuz,” and the Energy Department later said Wright’s post had been removed because staff had “incorrectly captioned” the video.
The Reuters report also claimed that the Navy has refused near-daily industry requests for escorts for now because of the threat level in the region remaining too high.
At the time of writing, oil prices saw modest gains. WTI Crude April 26 futures up 0.54% to $83.86 per barrel, while Brent crude gained 0.61% to $88.33.
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