Middle East crisis live: US strikes Iran for third consecutive night; UAE says Tehran has hit tankers in strait of Hormuz
Key events12m agoOpening summary: US launches fresh strikes on Iran as tankers hit in Hormuz straitUS Central Command said a little over an hour ago that it had finished the military’s latest wave of strikes. . .
Key events12m agoOpening summary: US launches fresh strikes on Iran as tankers hit in Hormuz straitUS Central Command said a little over an hour ago that it had finished the military’s latest wave of strikes againstIran. It said in a statementposted on X:double quotation markDuring the five-hour mission, U. S. forces successfully struck military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shippingCentcom said it targeted “Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities”. More than 50,000 US service members were currently deployed across the Middle East, it added. Opening summary: US launches fresh strikes on Iran as tankers hit in Hormuz straitWelcome to our continuing live coverage of the crisis in the Middle East. TheUScarried out a third consecutive night of strikes againstIranon Monday and two tankers came under fire in thestrait of HormuzafterDonald Trumpsaid Washington was reinstating its blockade of Iranian shipping inthe Gulfand would ensure that the strategic waterway stayed open, but for a fee. US Central Commandsaid it began strikes at the president’s direction just after he saidIranwould be hit “very hard tonight and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow”, later saying the US was attacking Iranian capabilities in the strait. Soon after, theUnited Arab Emiratessaid Iranian cruise missiles struck two Emirati oil tankers while transiting the southern lane of the vital energy transit route inOmaniterritorial waters, killing one crew member and injuring eight. With the US-Iran memorandum of understanding in a shambles after fighting reignited between them last week, Trump claimed the strait was open and would stay open “with or without Iran”. The president also announced the US would start charging fees on ships transiting through the waterway, claiming a 20% fee would be levied “for any and all costs necessary” to provide security and safety for vessels. Iran’s top joint military command said the US had no role in determining the strait’s future and would not be allowed to intervene. Iranian foreign ministerAbbas Araqchisaid on X that Tehran would “forever” be the guardian of the strait, adding over Trump’s comments: “20% is of course too much. We will be fair. ”An explosion at Bandar Abbas naval base in Iran as US attack drones hit. Photograph: US Central Command/APIn other developments:Iranian media reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran’s Kish and Qeshm islands and on Abu Musa Island in the Gulfsoon after the US military announced renewed strikes on Iran. The US military started preparing to resume blockading ships heading to and exiting Iranian ports from 4pm ET on Tuesday, US Central Command said,after Trump’s announcement. Oil prices roes 2% to their highest in four weeksamid heightened uncertainty about energy flows through the strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures climbed 2% to $84. 98 a barrel by 0051 GMT on Tuesday, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 2. 1% to $79. 79. Brent crude surged 9. 6% in the previous session – its biggest daily gain since May 2020. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) said passage through thestrait of Hormuz“should remain free of any tolls and charges, in accordance with international law”. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said its air defences dealt with ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis towards the kingdom’s southern region, as tensions rose after Sana’a airport was attacked. The Houthis earlier said Saudi Arabia had launched strikes on the airport in the Yemeni capital. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it wanted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing. The Houthis earlier warned the strikes would end an informal truce between the two sides that has held since 2022.