Iran-US war latest: Tankers involved in ‘accident’ in Strait of Hormuz after following American route, Tehran claims

The US and Iran continue tit-for-tat strikes over the vital shipping route while a fifth of the world’s oil supply remains at a standstill. But Gulf countries have been looking towards alternatives for a more independent future, Maira Butt reports.

Jordanian authorities have not issued any decision on Sunday to ⁠evacuate the airport or seaport in Aqaba, the government’s spokesperson told Reuters, after the US embassy in Amman said they had been ⁠evacuated due to ​a credible ⁠threat.

“No potential threats have been recorded by the relevant Jordanian authorities ⁠in the past few hours,” government spokesperson ​Mohammad ⁠Al-Momani told Reuters in ‌a written statement. “The airport and port are operating normally.”

The US embassy had said ‌the airport and seaport ‌were evacuated due to a “specific and credible threat”, without providing further details.

It advised Americans to refrain ⁠from travelling to either location and to continue to follow all security directives issued by Jordanian authorities.

The US military said on Saturday that two of its personnel were killed in Jordan and another was ‌missing after an Iranian attack.

Over the ​last week, Jordan has repeatedly ‌said that it ⁠has intercepted Iranian missiles flying over its ⁠territory.

Iran has executed two ⁠men convicted of killing four police officers ⁠during ​violent ⁠unrest in the ⁠central city ​of Isfahan ⁠in ‌January, judiciary-linked news outlet Mizan ‌reported on ‌Sunday.

Mizan identified the ⁠men as Erfan Esfandiyari and Golmohammad Mohammadi, adding that their death ‌sentences were carried ​out ‌on Sunday ⁠after ⁠a court process.

The international airport and ⁠seaport in Aqaba in southern Jordan has been evacuated because of ⁠a “specific and credible ​threat”, ⁠the US embassy said on ⁠X on Sunday.

“We ​strongly ⁠advise all ‌Americans to refrain (from) travelling to either the ‌airport or seaport. ‌Continue to follow all Jordanian authorities’ security ⁠directives,” the embassy said, without providing further details.

Jordanian authorities have not yet released a statement on the ‌matter and the ​Jordanian information ‌minister did ⁠not respond immediately to ⁠a request for comment.

Tehran has said two “US-backed” ships were involved in an “accident” after after attempting to transit ⁠the ​Strait ⁠of Hormuz.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday that two ⁠ships were involved in an “accident” after attempting to navigate ⁠the ​Strait ⁠ via an “unsafe route”, ⁠while two other ​vessels ⁠abandoned that ‌route, the semi-official Tasnim news agency ‌reported.

The Guards said ‌the four vessels had ignored ⁠Iranian warnings and acted with US backing.

“Vessels that are influenced by the words of ‌the Americans and enter ​unsafe ‌routes will ⁠certainly face accidents,” ⁠the Guards warned in ‌a ​statement.

At least two US service members were killed in action while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in Jordan, marking the first American deaths in the aftermath of a tenuous ceasefire agreement earlier this year, according to US Central Command.

Another service member is missing after Friday’s attacks, according to the Department of Defense.

Four American service members were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals and have since been discharged, Central Command announced Saturday.

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Bahrain’s air defence systems have blocked an Iranian attack this morning, according to reports on the country’s state TV.

It comes after Iran has stepped up strikes on US allies in the region, including Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will make his first trip to the White House this week to present a plan to US President Donald Trump on how to disarm Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and secure Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon.

President Aoun, who served as the commander of Lebanon’s US-backed army before being elected president last year, is the first Lebanese head of ⁠state in nearly 20 years to visit the White House, where he will meet Trump face-to-face for the first time.

Tuesday’s meeting comes at a crucial moment for Lebanon: Israeli troops are occupying a swathe of the country’s south, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese remain displaced following Israeli strikes and Hezbollah has firmly rejected the government’s direct talks with Israel — and efforts by the state to strip it of its arms. In comments published by his office last week, Aoun said he would ask Trump to “exert the necessary pressure on Israel” to implement a U.S.-brokered June 26 agreement ⁠between Lebanon and Israel. That deal aims to disarm Hezbollah, see a progressive Israeli troop withdrawal and ​set ⁠the stage for peaceful ties between the two countries.

A Lebanese official said Aoun would present Trump with a written proposal on how to decommission Hezbollah’s massive arsenal. The official said Aoun believes only Trump possesses the leverage needed to pressure Israel to withdraw its troops and help Lebanon restore its sovereignty.

Three strategically vital islands at the mouth of the Persian Gulf have once again become a focal point in the escalating US military campaign against Iran.

Abu Musa, along with Greater and Lesser Tunb, were seized by Iran in 1971 from what would later become the United Arab Emirates. These rocky outposts now serve as a critical Iranian garrison, enabling Tehran to exert considerable influence over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas transits during peacetime.

Recent US strikes targeting two of these islands have reignited debate and speculation surrounding their future and their long-disputed ownership.