US Officials: Iran’s Military Crippled, But Tehran Holds Power And Shuts Down Global Oil Choke Point

United States and Israel have unleashed an unprecedented and devastating aerial bombardment campaign across the Middle East. According to top U.S. military officials, the relentless strikes have successfully obliterated Iran’s air defenses, sunk its operational navy, and severely degraded its sprawling missile arsenal.

However, despite facing absolute military devastation, the regime in Tehran has not only held onto power—it has successfully triggered a global economic nightmare by shutting down the world's most critical oil choke point.

Here at READ 1hour, we are continuously tracking the massive global fallout of this escalating war. What began as a targeted military decapitation strike has officially transformed into a brutal economic siege that threatens the entire global energy market.

Under the banner of "Operation Epic Fury," the U.S. and Israeli militaries have systematically dismantled the Islamic Republic's conventional war machine. Utilizing B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, F-35 fighter jets, and naval cruise missiles, allied forces have struck over 2,000 targets in just the first few weeks of the conflict.

• Air Defenses Obliterated: Iran's domestic and imported radar and surface-to-air missile systems have been effectively wiped out, granting the US and Israel nearly uncontested air superiority over Tehran.
• A Sunken Navy: U.S. Central Command reports that at least 17 Iranian naval vessels—including their most advanced submarines—have been sent to the bottom of the sea, leaving Iran with zero operational ships in the Arabian Gulf.
• Missile Manufacturing Hit: Deeply buried underground ballistic missile facilities have been repeatedly pounded by massive 2,000-pound bunker-buster munitions, severely limiting Tehran's ability to restock its weapons.

Regime Refuses to Fall

Despite the staggering loss of military hardware and the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the war's opening hours, the anticipated total collapse of the Iranian government has not materialized.

The emergency Leadership Council in Tehran is stubbornly clinging to power. Refusing to surrender to overwhelming American and Israeli firepower, the regime has pivoted to a highly destructive asymmetric warfare strategy. Their calculus is simple: if they cannot win a conventional war, they will make the entire global economy suffer the consequences.

Shutting Down the Strait of Hormuz

With its conventional military in ruins, Tehran has played its ultimate trump card. Iranian forces have effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz—the narrow, highly strategic waterway where roughly 20 percent of the world's traded oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) passes every single day.

• Attacks on Shipping: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has declared the strait an active war zone, heavily mining the waters and utilizing surviving drones to attack oil tankers that attempt to transit the area.
• Targeting the GCC: Expanding the conflict, Iran has launched waves of projectiles at critical energy infrastructure in neighboring Gulf states, forcing major facilities like QatarEnergy to halt vital LNG production.
• Global Energy Shock: The blockade is working exactly as Tehran intended. Global oil prices have violently surged past $119 a barrel, sending massive shockwaves through international financial markets and sparking widespread fears of a sudden global recession.