Tehran Displays “We Will Kill Trump” Banner as Strait of Hormuz Crisis Sends Oil Above $100
Tensions between Iran and the United States intensified dramatically on Wednesday as a new wave of military confrontations spread across the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Middle East. In Tehran, anti-American messages were prominently displayed in public spaces, including a banner carrying the English and Persian message “We will kill Trump.” Another billboard showed soldiers carrying coffins marked with the American flag alongside a Persian message translating roughly as “prepare your coffins.”
The images from Tehran captured a city living under the shadow of a conflict that has increasingly moved beyond conventional military targets. Streets, markets, public transportation stops and major roads continued to operate, but the political and economic atmosphere was dominated by the continuing confrontation between Tehran and Washington.
At the same time, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had attacked multiple vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, including two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers, while describing other ships as “non-compliant vessels.” The United States, meanwhile, said it had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers after Iranian forces attempted to strike a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles. The competing claims could not all be independently verified immediately.
The latest escalation has also sent shockwaves through energy markets. Brent crude oil rose above $100 per barrel, reflecting growing fears that continued fighting could disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy corridors. Reuters reported that the latest attacks represented the largest declared wave of tit-for-tat attacks on shipping since the beginning of the six-month-old war.
For people watching the Iran-US war from Tehran, Washington, the Gulf states and global financial markets, September 9 represents another potentially dangerous turning point.
September 9, 2026 | 9:13 pm
