00:00It is March 11, the 12th day of intense conflict across the Middle East.
00:03The United States, Israel, and Iran remain locked in a cycle of strikes and counter-strikes.
00:08With the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announcing this is now the 35th wave of their attacks
00:12against Israel and the Oz.
00:14But today, the focus has shifted to a new front line, the sea.
00:17The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil passes,
00:21has become a war zone.
00:23According to reliable sources, Iran has begun laying naval mines in the strategic Strait
00:27of Oman.
00:27They still retain up to 90% of their mine laying capacity, meaning they could deploy
00:31over a thousand more explosives into these critical shipping lanes.
00:34President Trump responded on social media, demanding that if Iran has laid mines, they
00:38must hurry up and remove them.
00:40He described the situation as very bad.
00:42The mining campaign has already had consequences.
00:44Iranian forces have attacked at least 16 ships.
00:47A Thai-flagged cargo vessel was struck just 11 miles at the coast of Oman.
00:5023 crew members rescued.
00:52Three remain missing.
00:53A Japanese-flagged ship was attacked near Saudi Arabia, and another vessel was targeted near
00:56Dubai.
00:57The British government, which monitors maritime traffic, has confirmed these incidents and
01:01is now warning all naval operations to exercise extreme caution.
01:05In the fog of war, both sides are claiming victories at sea.
01:08The United States says it has sunk 60 Iranian vessels.
01:10Iran claims to have sunk 13 American ships.
01:13Neither claim can be independently verified.
01:15The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent shockwaves through the global economy.
01:18With oil exports halted and tankers forced onto longer routes, the International Energy Agency
01:22has taken historic action.
01:24The 32-member organization, created after the 1973 oil embargo, is releasing 400 million
01:30barrels of oil from strategic reserves to stabilize prices.
01:33The head of the IAEA called it a historic event, the largest emergency oil release in the
01:37agency's history.
01:38On land, the UZ military says it has struck 5,500 targets across the region.
01:42General Brad Cooper of UZ Central Command stated the primary goals are to destroy Iran's missile
01:46stockpiles and degrade its nuclear weapons capability.
01:49The UZ has also issued a warning for Iranian citizens to evacuate commercial ships and ports,
01:53stating that any location used for military purposes will be targeted.
01:56President Trump now says the fighting is almost over.
01:59When asked when the war would end, he stated simply,
02:02It will end when I want it to end.
02:03Earlier predictions suggested the conflict could last three to six weeks.
02:06But the president now claims operations are ahead of schedule.
02:09Israel, meanwhile, has its own objectives.
02:11Defense officials there say they will fight until their goals are achieved, including encouraging
02:15the Iranian people to overthrow their own government.
02:17Israeli assessments suggest the current Iranian regime could fall within a year.
02:21As the Ars and Israel press their campaigns, Europe is moving into position.
02:25France has deployed eight ships and a destroyer to the eastern Mediterranean.
02:28Greece is sending two destroyers and four F-16s to Cyprus.
02:31The Netherlands and Britain are dispatching missile ships and helicopters.
02:34Germany has deployed fighter jets and air defense systems.
02:37And amid the military buildup, the European Union is sending $115 million in humanitarian aid to
02:43Lebanon, along with 40 tons of emergency supplies, as the country faces a growing crisis from the conflict.
02:49Twelve days in, the war has spread from the skies to the seas, from military targets to global oil markets.
02:54And as the mines are laid and the ships are struck, the world watches to see when and
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