A wave of Iranian ballistic missile and drone strikes pounded U.S. military bases across the Middle East on March 14, killing at least 13 American troops and destroying several aircraft and communication systems. Tehran declared the attacks a “direct response” to U.S.-Israeli operations on Iranian soil and warned that the war will end only when U.S. forces withdraw from the Persian Gulf. The assault, one of the most intense since the conflict began, also disrupted global oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, sending energy prices soaring worldwide.