West Asia conflict | Iran laying mines at Strait of Hormuz? US claims it destroyed 16 Iranian vessels

The United States military on Tuesday said it destroyed multiple Iranian ships, including 16 mine-laying Iranian ships.

This comes as Iran sought to block oil exports from West Asia, growing concerns about global exports from the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of global oil is shipped.

The American military also released unclassified video footage of some of the vessels being destroyed, after US President Donald Trump earlier warned Iran against laying mines in the strait.

The West Asian war escalated further on Day 11, with Trump threatening to hit Iran at "a level never seen before" if the country failed to immediately remove any mines it might have deployed in the channel.

Further, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised the 'most intense strikes yet'.

The war has spread through West Asia, even as Iranian leaders ruled out dialogue with the United States. The Islamic Republic also launched new attacks against Israel and Gulf Arab countries.

The Pentagon said on Tuesday that about 140 US service members have been wounded in the war, and the "vast majority" of the injuries were minor, with 108 service members already back on duty. Eight US service members suffered severe injuries, and seven have been killed.

Meanwhile, Israel, which carried out the joint operation with the US to kill Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said it was working to intercept missiles from Iran and Hezbollah, which began firing on Israel after the start of the war.

In Iran, at least 1,230 people have been killed, according to officials.

Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said on X that Iran was "definitely not looking for a ceasefire".

"We believe that the aggressor should be punched in the mouth so that he learns a lesson so that he will never think of attacking our beloved Iran again," he said.