Day Two of US Strikes on Iran: Hormuz 'Closed,' Oil Spikes Again

Thursday morning, June 11, and the feed is red again. The US struck Iran for a second straight night - Trump flat-out said if there’s no deal, they’ll hit again tomorrow. Iran answered with missiles at American bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.

The loudest headline of the day is Hormuz. Iran says the strait is “completely closed” and any ship that tries to pass will be attacked. Iranian media report two vessels were hit. Washington, meanwhile, insists commercial tankers are still moving and US warships weren’t damaged.

For regular people this isn’t abstract geopolitics. It’s the gas pump.

Brent crude is trading above $93 a barrel - up more than a quarter since the war started. Kuwait closed its airspace, Kuwait Airways canceled flights. Bahrain sounded sirens and told people to take shelter. Jordan shot down five Iranian missiles.

Trump told Fox News the numbers: 49 Tomahawk missiles at targets inside Iran, some within 40 miles of Tehran. Defense Secretary Hegseth spoke from CENTCOM HQ in Florida, calling the strikes something that “advances our military interests and enhances our diplomatic position.” Sounds like an oxymoron, but that’s the US line right now.

Talks look stuck again. Iran won’t let go of Hormuz. The US is blocking Iranian ports. The war has been running for over three months - since late February. April’s fragile ceasefire is long gone.

The politics aren’t helping either: gas is expensive, Trump’s approval is sliding, and Republicans are nervous ahead of November’s midterms. A war a chunk of voters never wanted is finally hitting wallets.

What to watch next:

• Is Hormuz actually closed or is it mostly rhetoric - that decides the price of everything else
• Will regional bases get hit again tonight
• Will negotiators put any real deal text on the table

So far the answer to all three is “unclear.” Oil already answered.