US and Israel Poised to Strike Iran as Americans Told to Leave
The United States and Israel were poised to launch what American officials described as one of the harshest bombing campaigns of the war against Iran’s energy infrastructure, though no strike had begun by Saturday evening and no final decision had been confirmed. In a sign of rising alarm, US embassies in Jordan, Israel and Iraq urged Americans to “consider departing” over the risk of escalation. Iran again declared the Strait of Hormuz shut and warned that any country aiding the United States would “burn in the fire of war”.
The reported plan, said to target power plants and petrochemical sites and to be timed before markets reopen on Monday, would strike at the economic core of the Islamic Republic and risk a sharp jump in oil prices. American commanders were said to have warned they lacked the ships to defend both Israel and the US homeland at once, a hint of how stretched the campaign has become. Iran’s claims of striking tankers and closing Hormuz could not be independently verified, but the threat alone has kept oil elevated. With embassies emptying and warnings flying, the weekend carries a heavy charge. Watch for any strike before Monday and Iran’s response.