The US military escorted 40 commercial vessels carrying 18 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, marking a wartime high as Iran and the US exchanged a new round of strikes on Tuesday, two US officials familiar with the operations told CNN.Before the launch of the war just over six months ago, roughly 20 million barrels a day were passing through the strait. The US used a range of air, sea and space assets to not only continue hitting Iran’s capability to attack commercial vessels in the strait but simultaneously fended off waves of drone attacks as it conducted the risky escort operations for the ships carrying millions of barrels of oil, the officials said.US forces also neutralised anti-ship cruise missiles during the escort operation, the first official added.It comes as the US has focused its strategy in the war to prioritise striking targets around the strait, conducting escort operations for commercial vessels through the key waterway and maintaining its naval blockade on Iranian ports as part of a “full court press” by the Trump administration to ramp up economic pressure on the regime’s leadership, according to the officials.The US escort operation came as the wider conflict escalated across the region.Meanwhile, Iran launched missiles and drones at Kuwait early Thursday, with Kuwait’s military saying its air defences intercepted the attacks. Iran has also claimed attacks on US positions in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq, while regional governments have reported intercepting Iranian missiles or drones.Iranian officials said the latest US strikes killed 18 people and wounded 108. Tehran also said a US strike hit a home hosting a wedding in Kuhestak, near the Strait of Hormuz, killing four people. Later reports put the death toll at five. The US military said it was aware of the reports but maintains that it does not target civilians.Story continues below this adThe renewed fighting has also pushed oil prices higher. Brent crude rose above $96 a barrel on Thursday, reaching a six-week high as markets assessed the risk of further disruption to energy supplies.Even though Tuesday’s operation was a success, officials are under no illusion that a swift solution to the conflict is close, and energy companies are still wary about the huge risks involved in sending their ships through the strait, even with military escorts. And energy prices remain high, causing turbulence in the global bond market.President Donald Trump’s other stated priorities, including operations focused on eliminating elements of Iran’s nuclear program, have been effectively “backburnered,” for the time being, according to the first official, who reiterated that US Central Command has been directed to focus all of its efforts toward the strait and preventing oil exports from leaving or entering Iranian ports.Trump himself has recently suggested he is content to leave Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which was not completely destroyed in last year’s US strikes on three key nuclear facilities, buried and to monitor it from satellite imagery — despite previously insisting that securing the material was a top priority in the current conflict.Story continues below this adOn Tuesday, the US conducted the multi-faceted operation in line with the current strategy, hitting nearly 60 military targets around the strait, including air defence sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities, and communications sites, while simultaneously escorting the ships, both officials told CNN.Chipping away at Iran’s leverageBut they are also a critical part of the broader military strategy for systematically chipping away at Iran’s ability to leverage the strait.Trump said Wednesday that the most recent round of US strikes went beyond targeting Iran’s radar systems, in an effort to eliminate the nation’s ability to track ships through the Strait of Hormuz.“They were trying to see the ships,” he said from the Oval Office. “They can’t see it because they have no radar, because we blew it up, and we blew up much more than their radar last night.”Story continues below this adTrump did not specify what else was targeted in its attack. But he insisted again that the US maintains control over the strait and has demonstrated that it can both strike Iranian assets along the shoreline while defending ships against any incoming attacks.Here are the top updates:US President Donald Trump and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed developments in West Asia and bilateral cooperation during a phone call, UAE state news agency WAM reported.Iran warned the United States that it would respond forcefully to an Israeli offensive in southern Lebanon, where Iranian military personnel are stationed alongside Hezbollah fighters, news agency Reuters reported.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a warning, making it clear that no country should help Iran evade sanctions, and the ones that would, would face sanctions too."No country should be out there helping them create mechanisms by which they can generate revenue that they will then use to sponsor terrorism and try to build a nuclear weapon. And if countries decide to do that, then we're going to have to sanction them too,” Rubio said.Iranian military said that it launched attacked targeting US bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.“This morning, the army hit the satellite communication systems, equipment depots and fighter aircraft hangars of the terrorist US army at the Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait with missiles and drones,” the army said in a statement carried by state TV.“The location of forces and radar systems of the child-killing US army at the Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE were also attacked by missiles and drones of the army,” it added.Kuwait's foreign ministry released a statement calling the strikes “a direct threat to its [Kuwait’s] security and stability, and the safety of its citizens and residents on its territory, and a grave breach of the rules of international law.”US President Donald Trump said the American strikes on Iran would not continue “too long"."We hit them very hard last night," he told US media. "We took out all of the new equipment that they tried to build along the Strait of Hormuz... It was a very heavy attack last night, and we're prepared to do another one any time we want.”The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the US Navy redirected 86 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two as part of its blockade against Iran."The U.S. Navy continues to strictly enforce the U.S. blockade against Iran. As of Sept. 2, U.S. forces have redirected 86 commercial vessels, disabled 3 and boarded 2 to ensure compliance," CENTCOM said in a post on X.Only six commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday, down from 11 the previous day and below the 10-day average of about 13, Reuters reported, citing data from Kpler.Iranian lawmaker Esmail Kowsari said the United States has become "desperate and confused" in its confrontation with Iran."One day it talks about a ceasefire and an agreement, and the next day about the Strait of Hormuz, an economic blockade and military action," Kowsari said, according to state media."We were harmed in the US attacks and we are not saying that we were not harmed," he said. "But the US could not achieve its goal of overthrowing the Islamic Republic and bringing to power the system it wanted."Top aides to Donald Trump are seeking to prevent the Iran war from escalating before November’s midterm elections amid concerns over Republican electoral losses, Reuters reported.