US military says it fired on another merchant vessel trying to breach its blockade of Iranian ports
The United States and Iran have shown no signs of backing down from the conflict after a 13th consecutive night of attacks. As conflicts flared up again and diplomacy was uncertain, both sides made moves that suggested escalation was possible. U.S. embassies in the Middle East have begun warning Americans in the region that their options for departure may be more limited, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has advised residents of neighboring countries to stay away from bases housing U.S. troops.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said early Saturday that Saudi Arabia struck the Yemeni port city of Hodeida in response to attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. After weeks of tension, the Houthis said the group would escalate tensions and disrupt years of calm.
US Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins told The Associated Press that American forces disabled the M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman after the ship attempted to breach the blockade at least four times. Hawkins emphasized that the ship’s crew was warned and did not comply with the commands. The army then opened fire on the engine room. This is the second merchant ship to be disabled since the military reimposed the blockade. US Central Command also said 12 ships were diverted.
On the same day the naval blockade was reimposed, the U.S. military said it opened fire on the Curacao-flagged oil tanker Belma as it sailed toward Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal in the Persian Gulf. After the ship “ignored multiple warnings”, on July 15, a US aircraft fired a missile into the ship’s funnel, disabling the merchant ship.
Earlier Friday, US President Donald Trump described talks with Iran as “the most serious negotiations we’ve ever seen” despite the US launching daily attacks. Trump added that he was “in no rush” to end the war.
Promising that Iran “will not bow to US bullying,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted ongoing talks with two global powers (China and Russia) that are often at odds with Americans and said in an interview with the semi-official news outlet Tasnim that the Islamic Republic “will neither fear threats nor bow to pressure.” widespread economic turmoil.
US is striking sites across Iran and countries in the region are being targeted
U.S.-led forces shot down five explosives-laden UAVs, security officials in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, home to a contingent of American military advisors, said Friday. Repeated explosions echoed in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, and clouds of black smoke were seen near the airport where US forces are based. U.S. military officials did not respond to a request for comment on the apparent attacks.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it targeted the US base in Udairi, Kuwait, setting it on fire and destroying three ammunition and storage sheds. He also claimed that a watchtower belonging to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain was hit and damaged.
US Central Command did not respond to questions about the allegations.
Both Bahrain and Jordan said they foiled Iranian airstrikes on Friday.
According to semi-official news sources Fars and ISNA, the attacks targeted the bases of the USA and its allies, while the USA hit the Revolutionary Guard naval base in northern Iran. Explosions from US bombing were also reported on Qeshm Island, which is a base for Iran’s naval forces, including drone boats that it can use to attack ships in the strait, and in Isfahan province, home to a major Iranian air base and one of Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Additional attacks were reported in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province and southern Fars province.
Central Command said the latest dam was designed to “further weaken Iran’s ability to threaten civilian sailors and commercial vessels passing through regional waters” as the Americans seek to reopen the strait through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes in peacetime.
Houthi attacks give Iran more leverage in potential negotiations
A diplomatic delegation from Oman, which is involved in mediation efforts between the United States and Iran, was in Tehran on Friday to discuss the management of shipping traffic in the strait, according to Iran’s state news agency.
Iran’s ability to effectively close the strait and cause economic chaos far beyond the Middle East gives it a tremendous advantage in negotiations. Houthi allies amplified this effect on Thursday when they targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea; This increased the risk that the shipment would be diverted via another vital route for Middle East oil. The attacks foiled the Houthis’ threat to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked ships.
A Saudi ship sailing in the Red Sea was targeted on Friday, causing minor damage to its hull, an official at the General Authority of Transport said, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Houthi-run Al Masirah television said early Saturday that Saudi strikes hit facilities belonging to the state telecommunications company and also targeted Kamaran island off Yemen’s west coast. The broadcaster said an employee and a woman were also injured on Kamaran Island.
Saudi Arabia said it would do whatever was necessary to protect its ships and warned the Houthis that they “will not hesitate to respond if they continue hostile actions.”
Trump also threatened “major military punishment” against the Houthis if attacks on ships continue.
The strait at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, and about 12 percent of world trade passes through it, including a quarter of global container traffic. This transit has become even more vital for Saudi Arabia, which has to divert millions of barrels of oil per day to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.
The price of Brent crude, the international standard, fell slightly on Friday to around US$96, but is still significantly higher than before the war began, when it was trading around US$72 per barrel. AAA said drivers in the U.S. have seen gas prices rise to an average of $4.11 per gallon.
No signs of diplomatic breakthrough as war’s human toll mounts
Beyond the economic impact, human losses were also evident, with Iran’s Ministry of Health reporting that 3,434 people had been killed since the start of the war.
In other developments, the International Maritime Organization said at least 6,000 sailors were stranded on nearly 400 ships around the Strait of Hormuz. UN human rights chief Volker Turk called for “immediate action” to help them. His office said seafarers were exposed to conflict and some were abandoned by their shipowners, “left to fend for themselves without food, water, fuel, medical care, electricity or the means to communicate with their families.”
There have been no public signs of progress in negotiation efforts.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who played an important role in previous negotiations, met with his Iranian counterpart Araghchi on Friday. But before the meeting, Araghchi appeared to brush off any attempt at mediation, saying he did not think the conflict needed any more mediators; instead, he insisted that the United States should change its position.
The United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28 and proposed different goals for the war, including overthrowing Tehran’s government and eliminating its nuclear program.
Israel has signaled its willingness to rejoin the conflict in recent days. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that he will go to the USA next week and meet with Trump.
