Houthi rebels attack two Saudi oil tankers in Red Sea as US hits Iran for 12th night
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10 days · 11 summary articles
The Tehran-backed Houthis have claimed attacks on two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea, threatening to open up a new front in the Middle East conflict as the U.S. completed its 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran.
Yemen's Houthis said Wednesday that they had targeted two Saudi Arabian oil tankers, named Encelia and Layla, with drones and missiles for allegedly violating their maritime blockade. The attack, if confirmed, would mark the first since the militant group announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) confirmed the Encelia was targeted while transiting the Red Sea, resulting in a fire at the bow of the vessel. Citing an unnamed official from the Transport General Authority, the agency reported all crew were safe and described the attack as a violation of international law. The SPA did not provide an update on the Layla tanker.
Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported Wednesday that an "unknown projectile" struck a Saudi Arabian oil tanker about 130 kilometers from the coastal town of Al Shuqaiq in Saudi Arabia. UKMTO said the incident resulted in a fire onboard and reported no casualties.
The U.S. Central Command said overnight that American forces completed another round of strikes against Iran, hitting military targets including maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, and air defense assets. "The strikes further degrade Iran's ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels," Centcom said in a statement. It added that U.S. forces have targeted dozens of Iranian military sites on land this month while resuming a blockade against the Islamic Republic at sea.
As of Thursday evening, Centcom said it had redirected nine commercial vessels and disabled one to prevent ships from entering or departing Iranian ports. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Thursday that Iran is still not ready to make a deal — "at least not one they are willing to live by."
"They are going to continue to pay a price and every night the price gets higher and higher and higher," Rubio said. Asked for his reaction to Houthi-claimed attacks on two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea, Rubio said: "I hope that they will stop. They shouldn't really do that. They got suckered into this by the Iranians."
Oil prices were higher on Thursday morning, extending recent gains, as the U.S. and Iran ratcheted up hostilities.
The UK government has temporarily withdrawn embassy staff from Iran, citing “the ongoing security situation” in the region. The British embassy in Tehran will continue operating remotely, according to a brief update on the government’s website.
This comes after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels bombed two Saudi oil tankers off the coast of Saudi Arabia, threatening to further disrupt oil supply in a sign that the war is spreading across the region. The Houthis claimed an attack on two vessels 70 nautical miles southwest of the port of Al Shuqaiq, saying they had violated a maritime blockade.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), which cited an official from the General Transport Authority, the incident caused a fire at the front of the ship. Earlier, Iran’s foreign minister warned of an “eye for an eye” response if Donald Trump continues with his threat to bomb a bridge or power plant for every ship targeted in the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military said it had carried out a 12th straight night of strikes against Iran in the early hours of Thursday, including the first use of B-1 long-range bombers in weeks. Iranian state media report two dead in latest US strikes Iranian state media reported that two people were killed and 11 wounded in US strikes in southern Iran, near the country’s border with Iraq.
The deaths were reported as part of the latest wave of American attacks, which the US military said targeted “maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and air defence assets”. Centcom said in a statement on X: “The strikes further degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels.”
According to Al Jazeera, explosions were reported in cities including Bushehr, Ahvaz, Sirik and Shalamcheh. Centcom earlier today posted on X, saying it completed the 12th night of strikes on Iran.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard defends its strikes on Gulf states Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) defended its attacks on US military bases in Kuwait and Jordan, arguing that the strikes were aimed at American forces rather than the Gulf states themselves. Responding to accusations that Iran had violated the sovereignty of countries where US bases are located, the IRGC said such claims were “completely incorrect”, according to Mehr state news agency.
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