The United States and Yemen’s Iran aligned Houthi movement reported separate attacks on commercial shipping on Tuesday, as prospects for a quick end to the Iran war weakened and Tehran warned that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless Washington accepted its conditions.
The attacks occurred at two critical maritime chokepoints, the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The developments renewed concerns over global energy supplies and shipping security, sending oil prices higher and weighing on global markets.
Brent crude settled 1.4% higher at $88.91 a barrel, while U.S. crude rose 1.3% to $83.20.
At the southern end of the Red Sea, four crew members were killed in a suspected Houthi attack on the Egyptian owned cargo vessel Tihamah, according to Yemen’s Transport Ministry. Two Yemeni rescuers from an anti Houthi military group were also killed, according to the Yemen Coast Guard.
The Houthi run Saba news agency said the group had attacked a Saudi vessel that it alleged was carrying military equipment. The Houthis had previously warned that they would target Saudi linked shipping as part of a naval blockade announced last month. The reports could not immediately be independently verified.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military said a Navy MH 60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at a Panama flagged cargo vessel after it allegedly ignored repeated warnings to stop violating a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. Maritime sources told Reuters the vessel was struck off Pakistan while sailing toward the Gulf of Oman.
The incidents came as tensions between Washington and Tehran intensified. Iran’s top security official Mohsen Rezaei said the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen unless the United States agreed to Iranian conditions, including the release of frozen Iranian assets and an end to conflicts involving Iran’s regional allies in places such as Lebanon and Gaza.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy routes and previously carried about one fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows. Continued restrictions on shipping through the waterway could therefore have significant consequences for global energy prices and inflation.
U.S. President Donald Trump has alternated between threatening further military action against Iran and saying that a diplomatic agreement could be reached soon. On Tuesday, he said the United States was in a strong position and warned Iran that further action could result in a major military response.
The latest escalation comes after months of fighting that began when the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28. Iran has since retaliated against U.S. interests and infrastructure in several countries across the Middle East.
Iranian officials have also increasingly warned of expanding the conflict. Mohammad Reza Naqdi, an adviser to the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, said Iran was developing the capability to conduct operations on what he described as enemy territory.
With attacks continuing around major shipping routes and negotiations showing little sign of producing an immediate breakthrough, concerns are growing that the conflict could further disrupt global trade and energy supplies.
Leave a comment