U.S. strikes Iranian missile sites near Strait of Hormuz as tensions escalate, Trump defends action

The Trump administration is now ramping up military operations aimed at weakening Iranian capabilities and securing the critical Strait of Hormuz.

(NBC)- Air raid sirens echoing across Israel underscore the rising toll of the escalating conflict, as a deadly missile strike hit central Israel this morning amid intensifying fighting in the region.

The Trump administration is now ramping up military operations aimed at weakening Iranian capabilities and securing the critical Strait of Hormuz — a key global oil shipping route that has become a flashpoint in the conflict.

U.S. Central Command says it carried out strikes using multiple 5,000-pound bombs targeting storage facilities near the strait. Officials say those sites were housing Iranian missiles believed to pose a threat to American ships operating in the region.

President Donald Trump defended the strikes, touting their effectiveness.

“We knocked out things that nobody thought were possible to knock out,” Trump said.

The military push comes as Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz — described by U.S. officials as an effective blockade — continue to disrupt global oil flow, driving up gas prices and increasing economic pressure worldwide.

At the same time, President Trump is urging international allies to step up involvement in securing the vital waterway, though he expressed frustration with NATO partners. The conflict is also sparking division within U.S. leadership.

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center and a retired Green Beret, resigned in protest over the war. In a statement, Kent argued Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States and suggested the conflict was driven by external political pressure.

The president quickly pushed back on Kent’s claims.

“It’s a good thing that he’s out because he said that Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat,” Trump said.

The White House maintains the decision to act militarily was based on what it calls “strong and compelling evidence” that Iran was preparing to strike the United States.

However, some Democrats say they have yet to see that intelligence.

“And nobody should know it better than Joe Kent, who’s in charge of counterterrorism,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.