U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Biden administration is intensifying pressure on Tehran, describing widespread economic and operational disruptions inside Iran. He said Iranian security forces and police are not getting paid or reporting for duty and that Kharg Island has been shut down. Bessent said Iran’s economy and currency are “in free fall,” called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority a failure and announced Treasury sanctions on the agency, warning companies and states not to pay or disguise tolls as aid. He added that a U.S. naval blockade has driven Iranian crude shipments to record lows and that the U.S. will move to cut Iranian airlines’ access to landing slots, refueling and ticket sales, saying only a satisfactory negotiated outcome will halt the downward spiral (statement posted on X, Thursday).
The Israel Defense Forces said it struck more than 135 alleged Hezbollah targets across Lebanon over a 24-hour period, including sites in Tyre and other parts of southern Lebanon as well as positions in the Beqaa Valley. The IDF also confirmed a separate strike in Beirut, saying the target was a senior Hezbollah missile unit commander. Overnight, the military issued additional forced-evacuation warnings for Lebanese civilians in southern areas, specifically naming Tyre and Zaqqoq Al-Mufdi. Local reporting noted an explosion in the Choueifat area south of Beirut and rescue workers were seen entering damaged buildings following the strike (ABC News reporting).
U.S. Central Command alleged that Iran launched a ballistic missile toward Kuwait that Kuwaiti forces intercepted, calling the launch “an egregious ceasefire violation.” CENTCOM also said Iranian forces launched five attack drones in and near the Strait of Hormuz; U.S. forces intercepted all five and prevented a sixth drone launch from a ground control site in Bandar Abbas. The claims were posted by CENTCOM on X and reported by ABC News.
These developments come amid heightened regional tensions, a stepped-up U.S. sanctions campaign and intensified Israeli operations against Hezbollah-linked targets in Lebanon. Reporting by ABC News correspondents Morgan Winsor and Chad Murray.