Saree said the strike was in support of Iran’s regime and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.<\/p>\n
The Israel Defense Forces said<\/a> they “identified the launch of a missile from Yemen towards Israel,” adding that its aerial defenses intercepted the threat.<\/p>\n The move by the Houthis marks an escalation in the conflict, which began with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes against Iranian targets on Feb. 28.<\/p>\n Analysts have told CNBC that the Houthis could attempt to choke off maritime traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, separating the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa \u2014 through which ships must pass to reach the Red Sea and the Suez Canal \u2014 adding to pressure on global trade.<\/p>\n Early Saturday, Danish shipping giant Maersk, widely regarded as a barometer of global trade, responded to reports of drone activity and explosions that occurred at the Port of Salalah in Oman. <\/p>\n “We are pleased to confirm that all Maersk crew are safe and accounted for and no Maersk vessels or cargo have been affected,” the company said in a statement<\/a>. “Following the incident in which a terminal crane sustained damage and a port worker suffered minor injuries, the port was immediately evacuated and operations across the facility were temporarily suspended.”<\/p>\n Maersk had said earlier in March that the situation in the Middle East had prompted it to pause future trans-Suez sailings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until further notice.<\/p>\n The Port of Salalah remains in full cooperation with relevant authorities and Maersk’s current estimate is that operations will be on hold for approximately 48 hours. We will inform customers if there are any changes to this timeline as soon as information becomes available.<\/p>\n The Bab el-Mandeb Strait was\u00a0estimated<\/a>\u00a0to account for 12% of seaborne oil trade and 8% of liquefied natural gas trade in the first half of 2023.<\/p>\n Iranian forces have already effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, through which about 20% of the world’s oil supplies moved before the war.<\/p>\n Oil prices<\/a> on Friday closed at their highest level in more than three years, as President Donald Trump’s<\/a> pivot toward negotiations with Iran failed to ease market fears about the huge supply disruption in the Middle East.<\/p>\n Stock Chart IconStock chart icon West Texas Intermediate crude oil price, one year<\/p>\n U.S. crude<\/a> oil prices rose 5.46% to close at $99.64 per barrel. International benchmark\u00a0Brent crude<\/a>\u00a0prices gained 4.22% to settle at $112.57.\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump’s move to give Iran a\u00a010-day extension<\/a>\u00a0to open the\u00a0strategically vital<\/a>\u00a0Strait failed to soothe supply concerns. The president said in a social media post on Thursday that talks with Iran were “going very well” despite “erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others.”<\/p>\n As part of the announcement, the U.S. president said he would pause attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure through April 6. Iran has not yet commented on Trump’s latest remarks.<\/p>\n More U.S. troops arrive in the Middle East<\/p>\n The U.S. Central Command confirmed the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, made up of roughly 3,500 Sailors and Marines, arrived in the Middle East on Saturday.<\/p>\n “U.S. Sailors and Marines aboard USS Tripoli (LHA 7) arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 27,” according to a statement posted on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n The America-class amphibious assault ship includes transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as amphibious assault and tactical assets, CENTCOM said. <\/p>\n Secretary of State\u00a0Marco Rubio<\/a>\u00a0said the\u00a0U.S.\u00a0“can achieve all of our objectives\u00a0without ground troops<\/a>.”<\/p>\n Saudi oil pipeline pumps 7M barrels per day: Bloomberg<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, which circumvents the Strait of Hormuz, is pumping oil at its full capacity of 7 million barrels a day, Bloomberg News reported<\/a> on Saturday, citing a person familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n Crude oil exports from Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port on the Red Sea have now reached 5 million barrels a day, and the country is also exporting about 700,000 to 900,000 barrels a day of oil products, the Bloomberg report said.<\/p>\n Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Saudi Arabia’s Aramco 2223.SE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n Aramco CEO Amin Nasser told reporters earlier in March, on an earnings call, that the East-West pipeline was expected to reach its full capacity of 7 million bpd in the coming days as customers reroute.<\/p>\n U.S. troops suffer casualties at Saudi base: AP<\/p>\n More than two dozen\u00a0U.S.\u00a0troops have been wounded in Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia’s\u00a0Prince Sultan Air Base\u00a0in the past week, two people who have been briefed on the matter told the Associated Press.\u00a0Iran\u00a0fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at the base Friday, injuring at least 15 troops, including five seriously, according to AP sources, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n The base, about 96 kilometers (60 miles) from the Saudi capital of\u00a0Riyadh, came under attack twice earlier in the week, including a strike that wounded 14 U.S. troops, according to the people briefed on the matter. The base is run by the\u00a0Royal Saudi Air Force\u00a0but is also used by\u00a0U.S.\u00a0troops.<\/p>\n Attempts at diplomacy continue<\/p>\n The latest attacks happened after Trump claimed that talks on ending the war were going “very well.” Iran\u00a0says it has not engaged in any negotiations.<\/p>\n With the economic repercussions from\u00a0the war\u00a0extending far beyond the\u00a0Middle East, Trump is under growing pressure to end Iran’s chokehold on the strait.<\/p>\n Pakistan\u00a0said Saturday that\u00a0Saudi Arabia,\u00a0Turkey\u00a0and\u00a0Egypt\u00a0will send their top diplomats to\u00a0Islamabad\u00a0for talks aimed at ending the war.<\/p>\n Foreign Minister\u00a0Ishaq Dar\u00a0said in a statement that Saudi Foreign Minister\u00a0Prince\u00a0Faisal bin Farhan, Turkey’s Foreign Minister\u00a0Hakan Fidan\u00a0and Egypt’s Foreign Minister\u00a0Badr Abdelatty\u00a0will arrive Sunday for a two-day visit to “hold in-depth discussions on a range of issues, including efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.”<\/p>\n Pakistan’s Prime Minister\u00a0Shehbaz Sharif\u00a0said Saturday that he and Iranian President\u00a0Masoud Pezeshkian\u00a0held “extensive discussions” on regional hostilities and efforts aimed at end the war.<\/p>\n Also, on Saturday, the Iranian foreign minister,\u00a0Abbas Araghchi, told his Turkish counterpart by phone that\u00a0Iran\u00a0was skeptical about recent diplomatic efforts to stop the war. Iranian state-run media reported that Araghchi accused\u00a0the United States\u00a0of making “unreasonable demands” and engaging in “contradictory actions,” raising doubts about the prospect of an agreement.<\/p>\n Trump envoy\u00a0Steve Witkoff\u00a0has said\u00a0Washington\u00a0delivered\u00a0a\u00a015-point “action list”<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0Iran\u00a0for a possible ceasefire, with a proposal to restrict Iran’s nuclear program and reopen the strait.\u00a0Tehran\u00a0rejected the proposal and presented its own\u00a0five-point proposal\u00a0that included reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over the waterway.<\/p>\n Death toll climbs<\/p>\n Iranian authorities say more than 1,900 people have been killed in the\u00a0Islamic Republic, while 19 have been reported dead in\u00a0Israel.<\/p>\n In\u00a0Lebanon,\u00a0where\u00a0Israel\u00a0has started an invasion in the south,<\/a>\u00a0officials said more than 1,100 people have been killed since the start of the war.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, at least 13 U.S. troops have been reported killed, while in\u00a0Iraq, where Iranian-supported militia groups have entered the conflict, 80 members of the security forces have died.<\/p>\n In the Gulf states, 20 people have been killed and four others in the occupied\u00a0West Bank.<\/p>\n The U.N.’s\u00a0International Organization for Migration\u00a0also said Friday that 82,000 civilian buildings in\u00a0Iran, including hospitals and the homes of 180,000 people, were damaged.<\/p>\n Israel\u00a0strikes Iranian nuclear facilities<\/p>\n Israel\u00a0focused its Friday attacks on sites “in the heart of Tehran” where ballistic missiles and other weapons are produced, the military said. It said it also hit missile launchers and storage sites in\u00a0Western Iran, while witnesses in eastern\u00a0Tehran\u00a0reported a partial power outage following airstrikes.<\/p>\n Iran’s\u00a0Atomic Energy Organization\u00a0said the\u00a0Shahid Khondab Heavy Water Complex\u00a0in Arak\u00a0and the Ardakan yellowcake production plant in\u00a0Yazd Province\u00a0were targeted, IRNA reported. The strikes did not cause casualties and there was no risk of contamination, it said.<\/p>\n Yellowcake is a concentrated form of uranium after impurities are removed from the raw ore. Heavy water is used as a moderator in nuclear reactors.<\/p>\n The Israeli military later said raw materials are processed for enrichment at the Yazd plant and the strike was a major blow to\u00a0Iran’s\u00a0nuclear program.\u00a0Tehran\u00a0vowed to retaliate.<\/p>\n![\"hide](\"https:\/\/static-redesign.cnbcfm.com\/dist\/a54b41835a8b60db28c2.svg\")
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