US launches ninth night of Iran strikes as strait of Hormuz standoff sees oil price pass $90 a barrel | US-Israel war on Iran
The US, whose price of Brent crude oil rose above $90 per barrel to its highest level since June, launched its ninth night attack targeting Iran early on Monday after announcing the death of another American soldier.
The U.S. military said the service member was killed Saturday in northern Iraq, where U.S. military bases are located, during a controlled detonation of what was called unexploded ordnance in an attack drone shot down by Iran.
“We hit them hard again tonight,” Donald Trump said as he returned to Washington after the World Cup final, adding: “We did this in honor of probably three, probably three great patriots.”
This is the third death in the United States in recent days, after two military personnel were killed and a third was missing in an Iranian attack on an air base in Jordan on Friday. 17 US soldiers have been killed since the war began.
The British military said a ship caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz near the Oman coastline as attacks began in the early hours of Monday. It is unclear what triggered the fire in Oman; It is stated that the US military encouraged the use of ships in the southern corridor to avoid Iranian control. Revolutionary Guards later claimed the two men It was stated that the oil tankers were blown up while trying to pass through the southern route of the Bosphorus, but no independent confirmation could be obtained.
The United States and Iran have moved closer to all-out war as the interim agreement aimed at permanently ending the conflict collapsed last month and shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz was largely halted.
Iran continued to retaliate by striking US-allied countries in the Middle East as sirens were heard in Bahrain in the early hours of Monday. The US embassy in the country warned: “Iran may attempt to target unspecified locations in the center of the capital Manama,” without elaborating.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also claimed to have carried out a “surprise attack” on an enemy command center in Syria’s Al-Tanf region, according to state news agency IRNA.
After Iran targeted sites in Jordan on Sunday, Israel warned of the danger of attacks exceeding its borders, reigniting a quelled direct regional conflict as tensions between the Trump administration and Iran rise again.
“If Iran fires missiles at Israel, we will attack them with full force,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday. The United States is expected to send dozens of additional refueling planes to Israel as part of strengthening its force posture in the region, a US official told Reuters.
Trump has threatened to target Iran’s power plants and bridges to force Tehran to loosen its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil supplies passed before the war.
Last week, the United States reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports to stop crude oil shipments. The military said on Saturday that six ships had since been diverted and disabled one.
Oil prices rose at the opening of trading in Asia on Monday, with the price of Brent crude rising 2.72% to $90.50 per barrel.
Iranian religious leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned on Saturday of “unforgettable lessons” if the United States continues to attack the Islamic Republic. An Iranian negotiator said Tehran had suspended its commitments to the interim agreement reached last month and accused the United States of violating the deal.
The midpoint of the agreement, which set out to end the war permanently and negotiate other issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, passed within 60 days.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Sunday defended the Trump administration’s war strategy but argued that the mission has since shifted to ensuring oil shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
“We took a break to reach an agreement with the Iranian people that would allow the oil to flow without them attacking,” Wright said. “They proved unwilling to do that, and we backed down. What we’re doing now is ensuring that oil, gas and other products move through the Strait of Hormuz, with or without Iranian cooperation.”
With Associated Press and France-Presse Agency
