US strikes Iran and Bahrain; tensions escalate over Strait of Hormuz
Bahrain activated its air raid sirens early Friday, warning residents to take shelter after reports of incoming fire, hours after the US military said it had completed its 13th night of strikes against Iran. The Gulf state has faced repeated attacks over the past week as the US and Iran continue to exchange strikes in a conflict that began over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media reported that four people were killed and nine injured in the latest US bombardment. The previous day, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed they targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, raising fears of a wider regional conflict as international oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel.
US Central Command stated that the strikes aimed to 'further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters.' The US is seeking to regain control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil and gas passed during peacetime. The strikes ended shortly before 5 a.m. local time on Friday.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who maintains close ties with both the US and Iran, visited Tehran on Thursday to call for peace and dialogue. His office said he 'promised not to allow Iraqi territory to be used for attacks on Iran.' Mr. al-Zaidi had met with President Donald Trump in Washington earlier this month.
US strikes targeted multiple sites across Iran. Iranian state media reported that four people were killed and five wounded in a missile attack on the outskirts of Ahvaz on the Karun River. An attack in Lorestan province injured two, while two more were wounded by explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas. Blasts were also reported on Iran's Qeshm Island, home to naval assets including drone boats, and in Isfahan province, which hosts a major air base and one of Iran's nuclear sites. Additional strikes hit Khuzestan and Fars provinces.
Meanwhile, the Houthis threatened to shut down another key trade route. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula is a vital chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. About 12% of global trade, including a quarter of container traffic, passes through there, linking Europe and Asia via Egypt's Suez Canal. Analysts at Lloyd's List Intelligence said Houthi attacks put at risk oil shipments from Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port on the Red Sea, creating a 'double whammy' on top of the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia has diverted millions of barrels of oil exports per day to Yanbu via an overland pipeline.
President Trump threatened 'major military punishment' against the Houthis if their attacks continued. The price of Brent crude oil rose more than 6% to about $100 a barrel, the highest level since May, before a preliminary peace agreement collapsed.
Both sides remain firm on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran asserts its right to manage traffic and potentially charge fees in the waterway, which was previously open toll-free. It has attacked ships using a US-patrolled route intended to bypass Tehran's control. Mr. Trump posted on social media that sanctioned Iranian funds held by the US would cover the cost of repairing boats damaged in the war.
