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Sirens have sounded repeatedly in central Israel on Wednesday night as Iran launched a major barrage of ballistic missiles, marking the largest Iranian salvo since the early days of the war. Around 10 ballistic missiles were fired, with most being cluster munitions. Minutes later, the IDF detected another missile launch, bringing the total to six such salvos for the day. Cluster bombs pose significant dangers to civilians, as small munitions may not explode on impact. Iranian missile fire on Israel has slowed in the past two weeks, from around 90 missiles per day at the war’s start to around 10–15 per day. US President Donald Trump claimed Iran’s president sought a ceasefire but ruled out any truce until the Strait of Hormuz was reopened for energy shipments. However, Iran’s foreign ministry rejected Trump’s claim, stating it was false. Iran continues to insist there are no ongoing negotiations with Washington to end the war. On Wednesday, it launched fresh missile attacks on Israel and US-allied Gulf nations. Trump’s tone has fluctuated between combative and conciliatory since the war began. He previously suggested the month-long conflict could end in two to three weeks, but Iran’s Revolutionary Guards stated the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed to its enemies. The Guards also confirmed hitting an oil tanker in the Gulf, which a British maritime agency reported as struck off Qatar, causing damage but no casualties. Oil prices surged due to Iran’s chokehold on Hormuz, which disrupts global oil and gas exports. This has triggered global economic turmoil, including soaring gasoline prices in the US (topping $4 per gallon for the first time in four years) and rising European inflation. Governments worldwide have introduced support measures. Meanwhile, Britain hosted a meeting of about 35 countries to discuss reopening the strait.