The U.S. military announced in the early hours of the morning that it had «successfully completed» new airstrikes against Iran for the «13th consecutive night,» while yesterday the Houthi rebel movement, which is aligned with Tehran, opened a new front in the war by launching attacks in the Red Sea against Saudi oil tankers, sending the price of a barrel of oil above $100 yesterday.
The hostilities between Washington and Tehran, which resumed on July 7, are raising fears of a lasting disruption to hydrocarbon exports from the Middle East, as Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has been compounded by the Houthis’ imposition of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia—the world’s largest exporter of crude oil.
After rising yesterday, the price of oil fluctuated in the early morning hours today, following the start of trading in Asia, slightly below but still close to the $100 mark, a psychological threshold it had crossed yesterday for the first time since May, even though it had returned to pre-war levels following the agreement in principle—the «Islamabad Memorandum of Cooperation»—signed by the U.S. and Iran in mid-June but has now fallen apart.
On the night from Thursday to Friday, the U.S. Army reported that it targeted Iran’s «military command centers, drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance posts, and naval capabilities» in order to «further reduce the threat posed by Iran to civilian maritime workers and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz,» which, according to him, ’remains open.«.
Iranian media reported that explosions were heard in various cities across southern Iran, as well as on the island of Qeshm, a short distance from the Strait of Hormuz.
In light of the growing threats to commercial shipping in the region, U.S. President Trump assured yesterday that, going forward, Iranian assets, held in the U.S. or more broadly under U.S. control, will be made available to cover damages to ships attacked in the Gulf.
«From now on, all damages caused to ships, their cargoes, or anything related to them will be paid for with Iranian funds held or controlled by the U.S.,», reported The U.S. president, via Truth Social, without providing any details about the mechanism he wants to use.
«Out of Control»
The situation in the Middle East is on the verge of spiraling «out of control»; it is on the brink of the «unthinkable,», warned Yesterday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres spoke during a Security Council meeting.
The Iranian military, on the other hand, vowed to continue its «retaliation» as long as the U.S. attacks «continue.».
Kuwait was mentioned last night during attacks by Iranian missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
For its part, the Jordanian military reported that ten missiles and drones had been launched against the kingdom within 24 hours, confirming that nine had been intercepted.
Donald Trump threatened For its part, Iran and the Houthis have responded with large-scale «military retaliation.».
Iranian media reported yesterday morning that two bombings took place in Bushehr, home to a port and Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant, and in Salamsheh, on the border with Iraq, where two people were killed and eleven others were injured, according to an official from Khuzestan Province, who invoked the state-run television network IRIB.
Other bombings were reported in coastal cities, while an Iranian news agency reported earlier last night that a U.S. missile had been launched at the island of Qeshm, near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized last night, the «absurd» behavior of the U.S.
Houthi Attacks
The Iranian-American conflict over control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which, prior to the war, one-fifth of the world’s hydrocarbons passed, was what led to the resumption of the war.
The Islamic Republic intends to impose a transit fee, despite Washington’s opposition, and even for ships that were granted permission to cross during the period when the strait was open, it allowed them to follow only a single route, along its coastline, threatening to strike any vessel that violated the order.
The Guardians of the Revolution, its ideological army, announced Yesterday, three oil tankers that were attempting to cross it were stopped.
In retaliation, the U.S. imposed a naval blockade on Iran. Yesterday, CENTCOM reported that in nine days, it forced 12 merchant ships to «change course» and that «immobilized» another one, in order to prevent any vessel from «entering or leaving Iranian ports» in the Gulf.
On the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, in the Red Sea, the Ansar Allah movement—better known in the West by the surname of its leaders, the Houthis— announced yesterday, Thursday, that it had attacked two Saudi oil tankers. The movement, which is aligned with Iran, is threatening shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and has become even more important following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
After announcing on Monday that it was imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, the movement threatened to attack ships attempting to break through it.
Official Saudi source confirmed to the Kingdom's news agency, SPA, that a tanker owned by a Saudi company was «targeted,» resulting in a «fire» breaking out on board the vessel.
