IRBIL, Iraq (AP) 鈥� The U.S. military said Friday that it fired on another merchant vessel that was trying to breach its blockade of Iran’s ports, while the Islamic Republic targeted American strongholds around the Persian Gulf.
The U.S. and Iran showed no sign of backing away from after a . With and diplomacy uncertain, both sides made moves suggesting an escalation was possible. U.S. embassies in the Middle East began alerting Americans in the region that options to leave could become more limited, while Iran鈥檚 advised residents of neighboring countries to stay away from bases with U.S. troops.
Saudi Arabia struck the port city of Hodeida in Yemen in response to Iranian-backed Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said early Saturday. The Houthis said they would escalate after tensions have been brewing for weeks, breaking a yearslong calm.
American forces disabled the M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman after the ship attempted to run the blockade at least four times, Capt. Tim Hawkins, U.S. Central Command spokesman, told The Associated Press. Hawkins stressed that the ship鈥檚 crew was warned and didn鈥檛 comply with commands. The military then fired into its engine room. It鈥檚 the second commercial ship to be disabled since the military reimposed its blockade.
Earlier on Friday, U.S. President met with top national security aides to discuss the situation with Iran and whether the administration should maintain the current course or escalate military attacks, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. It was not immediately clear if any decisions were made at the meeting, which was earlier reported by The New York Times. The White House didn鈥檛 immediately respond to a request for comment.
In an event in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump described negotiations with Iran as 鈥渂y far the most serious that we鈥檝e seen,鈥� even as the U.S. has launched daily strikes. Trump added that he’s 鈥渘ot in a hurry鈥� to end the war.
Vowing that Iran 鈥渨ill not bow to U.S.鈥� bullying, noted ongoing discussions with two global powers often at odds with Americans 鈥� China and Russia 鈥� and warned in an interview with the semiofficial news outlet Tasnim that the Islamic Republic is 鈥渘either intimidated by threats nor will we yield to pressure.鈥�
At the center of the fight is the , a crucial passage for world energy supplies that has been effectively shut down by Iranian attacks, sending fuel prices soaring and causing widespread economic turmoil.
US strikes sites across Iran and countries in the region are targeted
In the , which is home to a contingent of American military advisers, security officials said Friday that U.S.-led forces had shot down five explosives-laden drones. Repeated blasts echoed in Irbil, the capital of Iraq鈥檚 semiautonomous Kurdish region, and plumes of black smoke were seen near its airport, where U.S. forces are based. U.S. military officials did not respond to a request for comment on the apparent attacks.
Meanwhile, Iran鈥檚 Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted the U.S. base in Udairi, Kuwait, destroying three ammunition and storage sheds. It also claimed to have struck a watchtower for the U.S. Navy鈥檚 Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain.
U.S. Central Command did not respond to inquiries about the claims.
Both Bahrain and Jordan said they had intercepted aerial attacks by Iran on Friday.
As a barrage of assaults was aimed at bases of the U.S. and its allies, the U.S. hit a Revolutionary Guard naval base in northern Iran, according to the semiofficial news outlets Fars and ISNA. Blasts from U.S. bombardment were also reported on Iran鈥檚 Qeshm Island, a base for naval assets including drone boats that Iran can use to attack vessels in the strait, as well as in Isfahan province, home to a major Iranian air base and one of Iran鈥檚 nuclear sites.
Additional strikes reportedly hit Iran鈥檚 southwest Khuzestan province and southern Fars province.
U.S. Central Command said the latest barrage was designed to 鈥渇urther degrade Iran鈥檚 ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters鈥� as the Americans push to reopen the strait, through which one-fifth of the world鈥檚 oil and gas transited in peacetime.
Houthi attacks give Iran more leverage in potential negotiations
A diplomatic delegation from Oman, which has been involved in mediation efforts between the U.S. and Iran, was in Tehran on Friday to discuss managing shipping traffic in the strait, according to Iran鈥檚 state news agency.
Iran鈥檚 ability to effectively close the strait 鈥� and cause economic chaos far beyond the Middle East 鈥� gives it tremendous leverage in negotiations. Its increased that leverage when they targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea on Thursday 鈥� increasing the risks of shipping through Middle Eastern oil. The attacks made good on the to close the to Saudi-linked shipping.
An official at the Transport General Authority also said a Saudi vessel was targeted Friday while sailing in the Red Sea, resulting in minor damage to its hull, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Houthi-run Al Masirah television said early Saturday that Saudi strikes hit facilities belonging to the state telecommunications corporation and also targeted Kamaran island, off Yemen鈥檚 western coast. The broadcaster said one employee was injured and a woman was also wounded in Kamaran Island.
Saudi Arabia said it would do everything necessary to protect its ships and warned the Houthis if they continued 鈥渉ostile acts then there will be no hesitation in responding.鈥�
Trump also has threatened 鈥渕ajor military punishment鈥� against the Houthis if their attacks on ships continue.
The strait at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, and around 12% of the world鈥檚 trade, including one-fourth of global container traffic, passes through there. The passage has become more crucial for Saudi Arabia, which has been forced to divert millions of barrels of oil a day to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.
The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, Friday to about $96, but it’s still up substantially from before the war, when it was trading around $72 a barrel. Motorists in the U.S. saw gas prices tick up to an average of $4.11 a gallon, AAA said.
No signs of diplomatic breakthrough as war’s human toll expands
Beyond the economic impact, the human toll was also apparent, with the Iranian Health Ministry reporting that 3,434 people have been killed since the war began.
In other developments, the International Maritime Organization said at least 6,000 mariners were stranded on about 400 vessels around the Strait of Hormuz. U.N. human rights chief Volker T眉rk’s office said some seafarers have been abandoned by their ships鈥� owners, leaving them to 鈥渇end for themselves without food, water, fuel, medical care, electricity or means to communicate with their families.鈥�
There have been no public signs of progress in negotiation efforts.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar of Pakistan, which has played a significant role in previous negotiations, met his Iranian counterpart, Araghchi, on Friday. Before the meeting, Araghchi appeared to brush off any attempts at mediation, saying he did not think the conflict needed more mediators, instead insisting the U.S. must change its position.
The U.S. and Israel and have offered shifting goals for the war, including toppling Tehran鈥檚 government and eliminating its nuclear program.
Israel signaled its willingness to rejoin the conflict in recent days. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 office said he would travel to the U.S. next week and meet with Trump.
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Frankel reported from Jerusalem and Toropin from Washington. Associated Press journalists Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Erin Cunningham in Jerusalem, Matthew Lee, Darlene Superville and Collin Binkley in Washington, Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Fay Abuelgasim in Cairo contributed.
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