The United States launched airstrikes on military targets in Iran's central city of Isfahan early Tuesday, using 2,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on an ammunition depot, as footage showed massive explosions lighting up the night sky. President Donald Trump shared a video of the strike on social media, depicting a large fireball near Mount Soffeh, an area with known military positions and proximity to nuclear facilities. Iranian state media reported that the US-Israeli attacks hit "military sites" in Isfahan province, with no immediate casualties disclosed.

Hours later, an Iranian drone struck the Kuwaiti-flagged oil tanker Al Salmi anchored at Dubai port, igniting a fire on the vessel carrying two million barrels of crude oil bound for China. Dubai authorities contained the blaze with no oil spill or injuries among the 24 crew members, though four people suffered minor wounds from debris of an intercepted drone in a nearby residential area. The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation described the incident as a "brutal Iranian air strike."

The strikes mark a sharp escalation in the conflict that began on February 28, when US and Israeli forces conducted surprise airstrikes across Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and targeting nuclear and military sites. Iran has retaliated with missile and drone barrages on Israel, US bases, and Gulf allies, while closing the Strait of Hormuz to impose tolls on oil shipments. The US Central Command stated the Isfahan operation aimed to "eliminate the Iranian regime’s ability to project power outside its borders."

Trump warned that without a ceasefire and reopening of the strait, the US would target Iran's Kharg Island oil hub and desalination plants. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi countered that operations target "enemy aggressors who have no respect for Arabs or Iranians." Casualties in the war exceed 3,000, with over 1,900 in Iran alone, alongside disruptions to global energy supplies.

US gasoline prices surpassed $4 per gallon Tuesday morning, the highest since 2022, as Brent crude hovered around $106-$112 per barrel, up 45% since the war's start. Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan held emergency talks in Jeddah amid Iranian counterattacks. The tanker attack follows a pattern of strikes on merchant vessels in the Gulf, including incidents near Saudi Arabia and the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflict has drawn in proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon, where four Israeli soldiers died Tuesday, and the Houthis in Yemen. Diplomatic efforts faltered after Iran rejected a US ceasefire proposal, with both sides trading threats amid rising economic pressures worldwide.