Iran-US war latest: Houthis strike Saudi oil tankers as Tehran warns Trump of ‘eye for an eye’ response

• US strikes Iran for the 12th consecutive night.
• Iran says at least two people were killed and 11 wounded in the US strike on the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iraq.
• The IRGC said it hit US military facilities in Kuwait, including drone and air defence sites.
• Tehran said it stopped three oil tankers from crossing the Strait of Hormuz, with one vessel catching fire. The IRGC said the waterway was “completely closed”.
• Yemen’s Houthis claimed attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia confirmed the Encelia was hit but said all crew were safe.
• The US president warned Washington would destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant for every attack on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned of an “eye for an eye” response to any attack on Iranian infrastructure.
• Oil prices climbed to around $95 a barrel amid fears of wider disruption to global energy supplies.

Iranian state media reported that two people were killed in US strikes in southern Iran, near the country’s border with Iraq.

The deaths were reported as part of the latest wave of American attacks, which the US military said targeted “maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and air defence assets”.

Centcom said in a statement on X: “The strikes further degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels.”

According to Al Jazeera, explosions were reported in cities including Bushehr, Ahvaz, Sirik and Shalamcheh.

Centcom earlier today posted on X, saying it completed the 12th night of strikes on Iran.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has described surviving a US-Israeli strike that killed Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war, saying he was pulled from rubble after a leadership compound was hit.

In an interview with Iranian journalist Javad Mogouyi, Araghchi said the US and Israel had accurate intelligence on the location of Iran’s top officials.

“What matters, in my view, is the fact that Israel had intelligence about these meetings,” Araghchi said, adding: “This may point to a security gap that probably still exists. This needs to be fixed.”

He said he has since been constantly moving around Tehran for security reasons.

Describing the strike, he said: “We were on the other side of the building, and after the explosion, the ceiling, walls, and everything collapsed on us. I grabbed Mr Hijazi’s hand (Khamenei’s deputy chief of staff, Ali Asghar Hijazi), and we made our way through the beams and boards and pieces of wood, hearing the cries for help.”

He continued: “Water was pouring from the ceiling. Everything was wrecked. We eventually got out, and I saw that various parts of the compound had been targeted.”

The legislation, which also mandates a 5 percent to 7 percent pay increase for service members next year based on rank, marks a significant departure from the typically bipartisan nature of the annual National Defense Authorization Act.

The vote, a narrow 216-212, underscored deep divisions, with Democrats voicing strong opposition. Their concerns centered on the considerable spending hike for the Pentagon, particularly as Republicans simultaneously sought to cut numerous non-defense programs through other legislative efforts.

US president Donald Trump warned Iran that the US would target Iranian infrastructure if Tehran continued attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that for every ship hit by Iranian missiles, drones or other weapons, the US would destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant, including facilities near Tehran.

He wrote: “From 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.”

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi responded by warning of an “eye for an eye” retaliation, saying any attack on Iranian infrastructure would trigger a “powerful and decisive” response.

Two Chinese supertankers carrying a combined 4 million barrels of Saudi crude were heading towards the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Thursday, despite escalating security risks in the Red Sea.

Shipping data showed the vessels were continuing their journeys even after at least one Saudi-owned ship was attacked in the region and Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed strikes on two Saudi oil tankers.

Their transit is expected to test the Houthis’ recently announced maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia.

According to LSEG shipping data cited by Reuters, the Singaporean-flagged Xin Long Yang, which had briefly halted in the Red Sea earlier this week, resumed sailing towards China’s Qinzhou port, while the Chinese-flagged Cosnew Lake continued towards Huizhou in Guangdong province.

Both ships indicated they had Chinese crews on board through their automatic identification system data.

Oil prices rose above $95 a barrel for the first time in six weeks as the escalating US-Iran conflict fuelled concerns over disruptions to global energy supplies.

The increase was driven by renewed tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and Houthi threats to target vessels carrying Saudi oil through the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

The rise came after the 11th consecutive night of US strikes on Iran, with Donald Trump warning military action would intensify.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs said oil prices could climb to $120 a barrel by the end of the year if exports through Hormuz remain disrupted, according to the Guardian.