Christine Lagarde: "designed to continue degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping"

The United States launched its eleventh consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran late Tuesday, targeting military operations centers, maritime assets, and logistics infrastructure, according to U.S. Central Command. Officials said the attacks were meant to further weaken Iran’s capacity to interfere with cargo vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported air-defense systems were activated in Tehran, and explosions occurred in several cities including Bushehr, site of the country’s only nuclear plant. Tehran has warned against any strikes on its nuclear sites, after President Donald Trump threatened to hit an underground facility near Natanz. Regional allies such as Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan reported intercepting Iranian drone and missile attacks. Oil prices climbed to $94 a barrel amid the escalation, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington remains open to diplomacy but doubted Tehran’s sincerity.