Shamkhani network fuels threats to US security, Bessent says

US Central Command said American forces resumed a naval blockade against vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, adding that more than 20 US Navy warships and hundreds of military aircraft are operating across the Middle East.

CENTCOM said in a post on X American forces remain "vigilant, lethal, and ready" as the blockade resumes amid heightened military tensions with Iran.

US forces helped defend Kuwait against a steady stream of Iranian retaliatory attacks on Tuesday, including by using Patriot missile systems from a strained US stockpile, CNN reported, citing two US officials.

US forces also carried out additional strikes on military targets in Iran earlier Tuesday to eliminate emerging threats, one of the officials said.

An Iranian attack struck a Kuwaiti navy vessel on Tuesday, injuring four armed forces personnel, Kuwait’s military said in a statement.

The injured personnel received medical treatment and were in stable condition.

Kuwait’s armed forces detected and intercepted one ballistic missile, five cruise missiles and 33 drones during Tuesday’s attacks, which targeted several vital and civilian facilities and caused material damage from falling debris.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said no oil or gas would be exported from the region as long as US “evil actions” continued, Iranian state media reported Tuesday.

The IRGC also said US “aggressions” would only delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

It added that its attacks on US facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain were carried out in response to US attacks on Iran.

No country or entity should be allowed to charge vessels a fee for transiting the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday.

"I don't think anybody should be able to charge a fee," Trump said.

"I don't like the concept of a fee, but at the same time, it's not fair that we're protecting this Strait for the entire world," he added.

Trump also said that Iran’s military power was “just a tiny fraction” of what it had been four months earlier.