Iranian officials have vowed defiance in response to the campaign.
Trump on Monday said on Truth Social that Iran would be hit hard if it disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Senior Iranian security official Larijani responded, calling Trump’s threats “worthless” and adding that “even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iranian nation”.
“Be careful, so that you won’t get eliminated,” he concluded.
Trump continued to issue a series of warnings on social media on Tuesday, threatening severe military consequences if the country deploys mines along the pivotal channel, though he noted the US has no reports of this happening.
But the BBC’s US partner CBS News has reported that US intelligence assets believe Iran is preparing to possibly deploy naval mines in the Strait in future.
The president later said the US had hit “and completely destroyed” a number of inactive mine laying boats and/or ships.
Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency held a second meeting with G7 nations on Tuesday to discuss options for stabilising the global oil market, including releasing millions of barrels of crude from countries’ stockpiles.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the US military was discussing plans to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to oil tankers.
On the ground in Iran, people have expressed anxiety and a feeling of uncertainty over what comes next.
At least 1,230 people have been killed across the country since the start of the conflict, according to the humanitarian organisation the Iranian Red Crescent.
“I was in total darkness last night,” one man in his 30s from Tehran said, while others reported temporary blackouts or power fluctuations.
“I’m feeling terrible. They hit a street near us today. I just want to be able to sleep tonight,” a man in his 20s in the capital said.
Amir, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, spoke to BBC Persian on Monday from Tehran, where he said the sound of the bombing “is so loud that it would be heard across the city”.
“We feel overwhelmed, we feel anxious and exhausted and the idea of no future is looming large over us,” he added.
Across the Iranian border in eastern Turkey, people who had fled described the fear of the unknown size and scope of the missile attacks.
“When I opened the balcony door, the blast was so powerful it threw me back”, one woman said, describing missile strikes to the BBC.
In the early days of the war, she said the “strikes were few, now they come in waves”.
Emily Wither in eastern Turkey contributed to this report