entrench

Iran, Israel and the United States struck defiant tones as the Middle East war neared the two-week mark, with leaders vowing to press on despite a mounting death toll, widening regional attacks and fresh aftershocks in global energy and financial markets. Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first public message since taking power, vowing to keep fighting and to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut. In remarks read out by a state television presenter, he urged neighboring countries to close U.S. bases on their…