A U.S. military official said the president’s seemingly dramatic announcement on Wednesday referred to a previously reported effort to shepherd commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

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The president said that U.S. forces have been removing millions of barrels of oil on a nightly basis, and he had previously "wanted to say it so badly."

A cycle of threat, detente and deadlock repeats itself wearisomely as the president’s war in Iran drags on

• US politics live – latest updates

As the story of the US-Iran war is written direct to social media, Donald Trump may be the genre’s premier unreliable narrator.

Since the war began, Trump has again and again threatened Iran with fearsome consequences if Tehran doesn’t come to the table and sign a peace deal that the US president said was imminent weeks ago. And he has also repeatedly claimed that an Iran deal is “close” – without any result. (A CNN tally put the number of times he’s claimed it at 38.)

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© Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump told reporters on Wednesday that the U.S. military could continue strikes against Iran after targeting about two dozen sites, mostly near the Strait of Hormuz, in retaliatory attacks on Tuesday.  Trump said he still wanted to work toward a “meaningful deal” with Iran but wasn’t done punishing Iran for shooting down an Apache…

President Trump told reporters on Wednesday that the U.S. military could continue strikes against Iran after targeting about two dozen sites, mostly near the Strait of Hormuz, in retaliatory attacks on Tuesday.  Trump said he still wanted to work toward a “meaningful deal” with Iran but wasn’t done punishing Iran for shooting down an Apache…

Rising gas prices pushed inflation to its highest level in three years last month, a headache for the Federal Reserve and a potential political challenge for the Trump administration as midterm elections near.

Explosions reported across Iran after Donald Trump vowed to ‘hit them hard again’, with Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan targeted by Tehran

• Middle East crisis – live updates

The US launched a new round of airstrikes on Iran into Thursday morning after Donald Trump warned Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations, prompting Iran to respond with strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

The new US assault across a range of Iranian cities came as efforts to negotiate an end to the war again appeared stuck, with Iran insisting it would maintain its chokehold on the strait of Hormuz. The American attack appeared more intense and wider than the day before, but Iran released no information about what was hit.

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© Photograph: Aaron Schwartz/Pool/Aaron Schwartz - Pool/CNP/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Aaron Schwartz/Pool/Aaron Schwartz - Pool/CNP/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Aaron Schwartz/Pool/Aaron Schwartz - Pool/CNP/Shutterstock

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As the Iran war drags on, Oman — a U.S. ally and mediator with Iran — has found itself at odds with the Trump administration and some of its own neighbors.

© Altaf Qadri/Associated Press

The U.S. military started what it called "self-defense strikes" against Iran for the downing of an Army helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump said the two crew members were both "safe and uninjured" after the Apache helicopter went down while on patrol off the coast of Oman. Geoff Bennett discussed the latest with Dan Lamothe of The Washington Post.

It's the world's largest humanitarian crisis, yet aid groups say it has received far too little attention. As Sudan's civil war enters its fourth year, nearly two out of every five people face emergency-level hunger and humanitarian officials warn the crisis has been compounded by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Nick Schifrin reports. A warning, some images in this story are disturbing.

None of the participants in the recent wars of the Middle East can claim victory. All are to blame.

© Photo Illustration by Tam Stockton for The New York Times