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Welcome to the NewsHour.
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The Persian Gulf energy crunch deepened today as the U.S. and Israel launched new strikes
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Iran struck back across the region and effectively shut down the vital strait of war
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moves, prompting countries around the world to take unprecedented steps to keep oil flowing.
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We begin tonight with special correspondent Layla Molana Allen from Qatar.
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The roiling waters of the Persian Gulf further inflamed.
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The Iranian missiles this morning struck three cargo ships.
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This one manned by the Thai navy, engulfed by fire.
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Near one of the world's most critical oil passageways, the Strait of Hormuz, which
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snakes between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.
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Maritime groups say in all, Iran has struck at least a dozen vessels there, effectively
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bringing traffic to a halt and global energy fears to an all-time high.
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Today, Iran pledged it won't hold back.
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We will never allow even a single liter of oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz
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for the benefit of the United States, the Zionists or their partners.
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Any vessel whose ship or oil cargo blogs to them will be considered a legitimate target.
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The situation has caused energy prices around the world to skyrocket, to offset the surge,
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an unprecedented response from the international energy agency, which announced it would
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release 400 million barrels of oil from its emergency stocks.
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That's roughly 20 days worth of the Strait's exports, making it the largest distribution
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of reserves in history, i.e. a director, Fati Beryl.
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This is a major action aiming to elevate the immediate impacts of the disruption in markets.
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To be clear, the most important thing for a return to stable flows of oil and gas
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is the resumption of transit through the state of Hormuz.
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It all comes amid fears that Iran is preparing to mine the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to
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shut down shipping altogether. Leaving the White House today, the President said US oil
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companies should proceed with using the Strait and reiterated to reporters what he told
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Axios that there's, quote, practically nothing left to target in Iran.
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Still, joint U.S.-Israeli attacks continue across Iran.
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This explosion sending shockwaves through the northwestern city of Taveris,
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and in the capital, bombs gutted neighborhood shops, like this one.
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A new Israeli intelligence assessment revealed that Iran's newly installed Supreme Leader,
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Mustafa Haminei, was lightly wounded at the start of the war.
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Israel's Defense Minister today vowed to carry on for as long as it takes.
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We will continue to act and crush this regime and its strategic objectives in Tehran,
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and throughout Iran, day after day.
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Israel's campaign against Iran includes strikes on Hezbollah, the Iran-backed proxy group in Lebanon.
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There, attacks ramped up beyond Hezbollah strongholds, in Beirut southern suburbs today,
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and continued to hammer southern Lebanon. So far, well over 500 have been killed,
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and some 700,000 displaced.
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I want to go back to my hometown. I'm afraid. I'm scared for myself.
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There are strikes here, and there are strikes there. I'm confused about where to go.
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And Iran's counter-attacks have escalated to what its Islamic Revolutionary Guard call
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called today, the most intense yet. Missile remnants lay scattered in central Israel.
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After Iran said it's increasing its use of cluster munitions against them.
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I witnessed video captured the moment an oil depot in Oman blew up after it was struck by an
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Iranian drone. Oman had been the chief mediator between the U.S. and Iran before the U.S.
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and Israel launched the war, and two drones fell near Dubai International Airport,
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one of the world's busiest, continuing Iran's strategy of destabilizing its Gulf
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neighbors and energy markets. Here in Qatar, Iranian attacks ramped up too,
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with multiple incoming missile and drone launches intercepted throughout the day.
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A foreign ministry spokesperson for the country, which was previously a key neutral
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negotiator between Iran, the United States and Israel, said Qatar reserved the right to defend
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itself if necessary, and had no plans to reconsider its strategic alliance with the United States,
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over Iranian attacks on U.S. bases in the region, but affirmed its belief that the only way this
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conflict will come to an end is by diplomatic means, and urged all parties to come to the negotiating
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table to avoid any further escalation. For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Leyla Malana Allen in Doha, Qatar.