Saudi media confirms vessel hit in Red Sea<\/p>\n
A Saudi-owned \u2060vessel was targeted \u2060while \u2060sailing in \u200bthe Red Sea, \u2060causing a fire at the front \u2060of the \u200bship, \u200cthe Saudi \u200cstate news agency \u200cSPA reported on Thursday, citing an official source at the \u200cGeneral Transport Authority.<\/p>\n
The source was quoted as saying all \u200bcrew members aboard the Encelia were safe and that authorities \u2060had taken necessary \u200bmeasures \u200bto secure \u200bthe vessel and \u200bcrew \u200cand \u200bprotect \u200bthe marine environment.<\/p>\n
The report came after Yemen\u2019s Iran-aligned Houthis said they had carried out missile and drone strikes on two Saudi oil tankers <\/a>in the Red Sea on Wednesday \u2013 naming one as the Encelia \u2013 as part of a maritime embargo on the kingdom amid the US-Iran war.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.34 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Explained: the US-Saudi nuclear deal and why it’s causing concern<\/p>\n The landmark nuclear agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia<\/a> would use American technology and expertise to establish a civilian nuclear program in the Gulf country \u2013 a move that has caused alarm across the Middle East and through the corridors of power in Washington.<\/p>\n Much of the deal remains unclear, but concerns centre on whether Saudi Arabia would have the capability to enrich uranium domestically and what that means for nuclear proliferation, with critics saying it could set off a regional arms race.<\/p>\n In this explainer Jonathan Yerushalmy<\/a> looks into the deal and the concerns around it, why it is so contentious and whether it can be blocked.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.18 EDT<\/p>\n US says latest attacks against Iran completed<\/p>\n The US military says it has completed its 12th consecutive night of strikes against Iran.<\/p>\n Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement posted on X<\/a>:<\/p>\n double quotation markU.S. forces struck Iranian military targets including maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and air defense assets. The strikes further degrade Iran\u2019s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels.<\/p>\n Centcom also said US forces had targeted dozens of Iranian military sites on land this month, and had \u201credirected nine commercial vessels and disabled one to prevent ships from entering or departing Iranian ports\u201d amid the resumed US naval blockade.<\/p>\n The post said 50,000 US service members were operating across the Middle East.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a023.01 EDT<\/p>\n Earlier in the US day, before Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard said it had stopped three oil tankers<\/a> from passing through the strait of Hormuz, Donald Trump issued this threat<\/a> on his Truth Social platform:<\/p>\n double quotation markFrom this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Saudi media confirms vessel hit in Red Sea<\/p>\n A Saudi-owned \u2060vessel was targeted \u2060while \u2060sailing in \u200bthe Red Sea, \u2060causing a fire at the front \u2060of the \u200bship, \u200cthe Saudi \u200cstate news agency \u200cSPA reported on Thursday, citing an official source at the \u200cGeneral Transport Authority.<\/p>\n The source was quoted as saying all \u200bcrew members aboard the Encelia were safe and that authorities \u2060had taken necessary \u200bmeasures \u200bto secure \u200bthe vessel and \u200bcrew \u200cand \u200bprotect \u200bthe marine environment.<\/p>\n The report came after Yemen\u2019s Iran-aligned Houthis said they had carried out missile and drone strikes on two Saudi oil tankers <\/a>in the Red Sea on Wednesday \u2013 naming one as the Encelia \u2013 as part of a maritime embargo on the kingdom amid the US-Iran war.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a022.34 EDT<\/p>\n Iran says it stopped three tankers transiting Hormuz strait<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard is saying it stopped three oil tankers from passing through the strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n In recent weeks Iran has hit tankers using a route hugging the Omani coast to traverse the waterway, in an effort to push vessels into using its own waters and pay for safe passage as Tehran and Washington vie for control of the vital energy pathway.<\/p>\n The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement quoted by Iranian state media on Thursday that three oil tankers \u201cprovoked\u201d by the US military were trying to pass through a mine-laden route south of the strait \u201cbut after one of them exploded and caught fire, the other two quickly turned around and turned back\u201d.<\/p>\n The statement, cited by AFP, did not say when the incident happened. The IRGC added that its navy \u201cemphasises that the strait of Hormuz is under our control … and any ship that is deceived by the US and intends to pass without coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran will suffer the same fate\u201d.<\/p>\n The US military\u2019s Central Command earlier posted on social media<\/a> that \u201cIran does not control\u201d the strait, saying: \u201cThe international waterway remains open for transit regardless of IRGC threats and attacks. Commercial vessels continue to use the strait with US military support.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.44 EDT<\/p>\n The Houthis\u2019 claim to have hit two Saudi oil tankers as part of the naval blockade on Saudi Arabia<\/a> elevates the threat of a second chokehold on global oil supplies at the Red Sea in coordination with Iran\u2019s attempt to control the strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n The Iran-aligned militants, who control areas near the Bab el-Mandeb strait on the opposite end of the Arabian Peninsula from the Hormuz strait, said on Monday they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in what some analysts have \u2060viewed as a tactical move by Iran<\/a> to seek leverage in any diplomatic efforts to end the war.<\/p>\n But even before the renewed threats to shipping traffic in the Red Sea, Iran\u2019s blockade of the strait of Hormuz had pushed up oil and petrol prices and stoked inflation around the world.<\/p>\n Five tankers changed course in the Red Sea to avoid the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Wednesday, and three tankers loaded with Saudi oil for China and India made U-turns on Tuesday, as Reuters reports. Then the Yemen-based Houthis<\/a> \u200bsaid their forces carried out missile and drone strikes on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red \u200cSea.<\/p>\n Boats near Yemen\u2019s Bab el-Mandeb coast in a file shot. Photograph: Reuters<\/p>\n Millions of barrels a day of Saudi oil have been heading to the kingdom\u2019s Red Sea port of Yanbu to avoid the strait of Hormuz. If shipments cannot pass through the Red Sea\u2019s southern strait, they have only the northern route through the Suez Canal, adding weeks to the journey and significantly raising costs.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.25 EDT<\/p>\n Two killed in US strike at Iran border crossing \u2013 report<\/p>\n Two people have been killed in a US strike at the Shalamcheh border crossing in south-western Iran<\/a>, the country\u2019s Students News Network is reporting, citing a security offical.<\/p>\n A little earlier Iran\u2019s Mehr news agency was cited as quoting a provincial security official saying a US missile attack near a passenger terminal at the Shalamcheh crossing with Iraq had caused no casualties.<\/p>\n The reports come as the US continues what Central Command said were more strikes against Iranian military targets, beginning from 5.30pm ET Wednesday (9.30pm GMT).<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.41 EDT<\/p>\n More now on the US signing a landmark nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia<\/a> that could allow the kingdom to enrich uranium in the future.<\/p>\n Full details of the deal have yet to be released, but the timing of the announcement is controversial as the US\u2019s war with Iran<\/a> is being fought in part to prevent Tehran enriching uranium domestically and make it near-impossible for Iran to build a nuclear weapon, as Maya Yang<\/a> <\/a>and<\/a> <\/a>Patrick Wintour report<\/a>.<\/p>\n A civil nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia has been in the works for years during both Donald Trump\u2019s first administration and that of former president Joe \u2060Biden. No deal has come together before now, in part because of warnings from nonproliferation groups that say it could offer Saudi Arabia a path to develop a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n The deal will be submitted to the US Congress for review, where it could face opposition among lawmakers who fear a lack of monitoring safeguards to restrict Saudi Arabia\u2019s uranium enrichment.<\/p>\n As mentioned, the US Department of Energy said its secretary and his Saudi counterpart signed the \u201cpeaceful nuclear cooperation agreement\u201d along with a \u201cbilateral safeguards agreement\u201d.<\/p>\n The full report is here:<\/p>\n Donald Trump with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House last November. Photograph: Bloomberg\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a>Iran warns ‘eye for an eye’ response to US<\/p>\n Before the US launched its 12th night of strikes against Iran<\/a>, the Islamic republic\u2019s foreign minister warned: \u201cOur defense doctrine is clear: eye for an eye.\u201d<\/p>\n Abbas Araghchi also said in the post on X<\/a> several hours ago:<\/p>\n double quotation markAny aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response.<\/p>\n Those who contribute to such aggression, whatever the kind of support, will also be considered as legitimate targets.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.38 EDT<\/p>\n More on Yemen\u2019s Houthis<\/a> claiming strikes on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea:<\/p>\n The master of one tanker reported being struck by an unknown projectile about 70 nautical miles south-west of Al Shuqaiq, causing a fire that the crew was fighting, the British naval security monitor UKMTO said.<\/p>\n The Iran-aligned Houthis warned shipping companies on Wednesday that their tankers risk being attacked if they used Saudi Arabian ports, as the militia enforced a blockade it announced the previous day.<\/p>\n The Houthi warning for the Red Sea \u2013 coming on top of Iran\u2019s threat to shipping on the other side of the Arabian peninsular in the Gulf \u2013 could affect the substantial Saudi oil exports that have so far been unscathed by the months-long conflict and deepen the rapidly escalating crisis in the region, as Peter Beaumont has written<\/a>.<\/p>\n Armed students participate in a rally supporting the Houthi-imposed naval embargo against Saudi Arabia in Sana\u2019a, Yemen, on Wednesday. Photograph: Yahya Arhab\/EPA<\/p>\n Donald Trump said he would \u201ctake care of\u201d the Houthis if they followed through on their blockade threat against Saudi ports.<\/p>\n The Houthis have been broadcasting radio warnings to vessels, the International Chamber of Shipping told Agence France-Presse.<\/p>\n The message warned that \u201cin case of non-compliance of Yemeni armed forces decision, those ships will be in our target\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.45 EDT<\/p>\n Kuwait\u2019s air defences are responding to hostile drone threats amid \u201cIranian aggression\u201d, the Kuwaiti army is saying.<\/p>\n Any explosion sounds heard were the result of attacks being intercepted, it said on social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n Iran has continued to strike at countries around the region hosting American forces in response to ongoing US attacks.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Opening: US launches more strikes on Iran as Yemen\u2019s Houthis claim Red Sea attacks<\/p>\n Welcome to our live coverage of the continuing crisis in the Middle East.<\/p>\n The US military announced on Thursday evening it had began a 12th consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets at the direction of Donald Trump.<\/p>\n US Central Command said the strikes would \u201ccontinue to further degrade Iran\u2019s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters\u201d.<\/p>\n It came as Yemen\u2019s Houthis said they carried out missile and drone strikes on Wednesday on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea after declaring a maritime embargo on the kingdom amid the US war with Iran.<\/p>\n The Houthis said in a statement posted on Telegram that they \u201ccarried out a qualitative military operation targeting two Saudi oil tankers that violated the blockade\u201d, naming the vessels as the Encelia and the Layla.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the US signed a landmark nuclear deal<\/a> with Saudi Arabia that could allow the kingdom to enrich uranium<\/a>.<\/p>\n The US Department of Energy said on Wednesday its secretary and his Saudi counterpart signed a \u201cpeaceful nuclear cooperation agreement\u201d, along with a \u201cbilateral safeguards agreement\u201d.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll bring you more on these and other developments in our continuing live coverage.<\/p>\n