U.S. Military Says It’s Launching New Strikes On Iran As Clashes Escalate Over Shipping Routes

CAIRO (AP) — The U.S. military announced Thursday it will stage a 13th night of attacks against Iran as fighting escalates along shipping routes. Previously Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels He said they attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, potentially expanding the Iran war over international oil exceeded $100 per barrel.

U.S. Central Command said the latest attacks were designed to “further weaken Iran’s ability to threaten civilian sailors and commercial vessels transiting regional waters” as Americans scramble to regain control of the Strait of Hormuz and restore the flow of international shipping.

Meanwhile, the Houthis threatened closure another important trade routewith the world economy I’m already stunned Iran’s closure Strait of Hormuz. The threat comes as Iran and the United States step up attacks as they compete for control of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passes in peacetime. The fight for alternative routes is starting.

Minister Donald Trump He threatened “major military punishment” against the Houthis if attacks on ships continue.

“If they do this again, the United States will hold Iran accountable, as the Houthis are proxies and/or proxies for Iran, and major military penalties will be imposed on Iran and, of course, the Houthis themselves,” Trump wrote on social media.

As the discourse increased, the economic crisis also increased. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, rose more than 6 percent on Thursday to nearly $100 a barrel. This was the highest level since May, before the two sides reached a preliminary peace agreement last month has since crashed.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who has close ties to both the United States and Iran, was in Tehran on Thursday to call for peace and dialogue and vowed not to allow Iraqi territory to be used for attacks against Iran, his office said. Al-Zaidi I met with Trump earlier this month in Washington.

Gulf countries are increasingly pessimistic about finding a way out, an Arab diplomat said. The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, said that regional countries such as Pakistan and Türkiye continue to put pressure on reducing tensions.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday that the region was being drawn “into an ever-expanding circle of conflict”, with one crisis feeding into another and each escalation triggering the next.

“Diplomacy is the only way forward,” Guterres told the UN Security Council. He called for strengthening Pakistan’s efforts to mediate an end to the war.

The Houthis’ SABA news agency said the rebels hit two tankers, Encelia and Layla, in the Red Sea, causing fires on both tankers. No casualties were reported.

It was the first reported attack on a ship since they announced a blockade of Saudi-linked ships through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait earlier this week in retaliation for the kingdom’s blockade of Yemen. last attack at the international airport in Sanaa, Yemen’s rebel-held capital.

Bab al-MandebIt is a vital shipping point at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. About 12% of world trade passes here, including a quarter of global container traffic, moving between Europe and Asia via Egypt’s Suez Canal.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported that the Encelia was set on fire overnight in the Red Sea. He didn’t mention Leyla.

The UK’s Merchant Marine Operations Center said it had received a report that a tanker had been hit by an “unknown projectile” in the Red Sea, 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Al Shuqaiq, Saudi Arabia.

Maritime data and analysis firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence said the Houthi attacks put oil shipments from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu at risk, posing a “double whammy” alongside disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.

Saudi Arabia has diverted its oil exports, millions of barrels per day, to Yanbu via an overland pipeline as the war has blocked the Persian Gulf.

The Houthi threat “raises questions about the viability of this route,” Lloyd’s said in slides accompanying an online webinar on Thursday.

The rebels say they are blockading Saudi Arabia, but during their declared blockade of Israel, at the height of the war in Gaza, they targeted many ships with little or no connection to that conflict. disrupts global trade.

Iran says it has the right to direct traffic and potentially charge fees in the Strait of Hormuz, which was open and free to everyone before the war. It attacked ships using a route through the strait that is controlled by US forces and is intended to be out of Tehran’s control.

Trump said on social media on Thursday that sanctioned Iranian funds held by the United States would cover the cost of repairing war-damaged boats.

“Please allow this declaration to represent that, from this point forward, until further notice, any damage to Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto will be paid in Iranian Currency in the possession and control of the United States,” Trump said.

It was unclear what legal mechanisms Trump would use to access and spend the funds, but Trump said doing so would be “the fair and equitable thing.”

In response to Iran’s attacks, the United States launched an expanding offensive campaign across Iran and resumed its naval blockade of Iranian ports. U.S. Central Command said 12 commercial ships have been diverted and one disabled since the blockade resumed nine days ago.

The war of words also escalated. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran will adopt a “tooth for an eye” policy regarding attacks on US infrastructure. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hit back, saying Trump’s policy was “an eye for a tooth.”

“The price will continue to rise every night until they come to their senses,” Rubio told reporters while traveling in the Philippines. a regional summit.

Iran’s health ministry said on Thursday that 55 people have been killed and 629 injured since renewed US airstrikes began on June 27.

Iranian state media reported that US missiles hit near the cities of Ahvaz, Ramshir and Andimeshk in western Iran overnight, and two people were killed in a US missile attack on the town of Shalamcheh on the Iraqi border.

U.S. Central Command said the strikes were designed to “further weaken Iran’s ability to threaten civilian sailors and commercial vessels transiting regional waters” as Americans scramble to regain control of the Strait of Hormuz and restore the flow of international shipping.

Iran responded to US attacks by targeting its energy infrastructure. desalination plants To provide drinking water to the drought-stricken neighboring Gulf countries.

Jordan said its military intercepted three missiles early on Thursday, with the fourth falling in an empty field, while six drones were captured on Wednesday night. Sirens rang in Bahrain as authorities urged people to remain calm and take shelter.

The Kuwaiti army said that unmanned aerial vehicles attacked the border gate with Iraq, causing damage but no casualties. This attack may have been in response to the US attack on the Iran-Iraq border gate.

Polls showed that the war was very unpopular among Americans; This situation is also seen in Thursday’s narrow passage. US Congress decides to stop the war. The vote remained largely symbolic, although a handful of Republicans crossed party lines to support the measure.

Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece, and Binkley reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan; Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Michelle L. Price and Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad, Matthew Lee in Washington; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.