CA, US & World
U.S. Drops Massive Bombs Near Key Oil Route as Iran War Costs Mount
The U.S. military dropped several 5,000-pound bombs on Iranian missile storage sites near the Strait of Hormuz this week, as the conflict with Iran continues to escalate and its costs hit closer to home.
Central Command says the strike targeted weapons Iran had positioned near the strait, a vital oil shipping route, that were threatening American ships. President Trump called the results historic, saying, "We knocked out things that nobody thought were possible to knock out."
The Strait of Hormuz matters to anyone who drives a car. Iran's effective blockade of that route has been pushing gas prices up, and the Trump administration has been pressuring allies to help reopen it. So far, those allies haven't committed. Trump said he hasn't pushed hard on the issue, adding, "We don't need help."
The strike comes the same day that the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, a retired Green Beret and longtime Trump supporter, resigned in protest. Kent wrote that "Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation" and said the war began due to pressure from Israel and its American lobby. Trump fired back, saying Kent's departure was welcome, calling Iran a clear and recognized threat.
The White House says the president had "strong and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack the United States first," though Democrats say that evidence has never been made clear to them. Senator Richard Blumenthal pointed to Kent's own expertise, saying no one should know the threat level better than the man who ran counterterrorism.
A deadly missile strike also hit central Israel this morning, adding to a growing toll as both sides show no sign of standing down.
By: NBC Palm Springs
March 18, 2026
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