A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while leaving the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday morning, a day after a 60-day memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran expired.
The UKMTO said it received a report that the attack damaged the engine room and caused a crew casualty, with the remaining crew being assisted by the Omani Coast Guard.
The attack comes as president Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that Iran would not make the type of deal with his country that he thought was “necessary”. Iran said it would shift its policy from defensive to "fully offensive" due to the deadlock in efforts to agree a permanent end to its war with the US.
Trump has separately threatened to attack Oman – a US ally – if it "gets in the way" of his efforts to force a peace deal with Iran. “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s**t out of them,” Trump told Fox News, after reports that Oman and Iran are working out their own solution to control the strategic waterway.
Traffic through Strait of Hormuz rises to six vessels
Commodity vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has risen from two ships a day to six, according to shipping data reported by Reuters.
Houthis attack Saudi refinery, says group's news agency
Yemen’s Houthi news agency Saba is reporting that the group has attacked Aramco’s Jazan refinery in Saudi Arabia using drones, according to a military source.
Saudi Arabia is yet to respond to the reports.
Watch: Trump casts doubt on Iran deal, says Tehran ‘cannot have a nuclear weapon’
Gaza will not be rebuilt until Hamas disarms, says Kushner after four-hour Netanyahu meeting
Israel will continue strikes on Gaza after four-hour discussions on a Gaza Peace Plan between prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US envoy and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
“We have a plan to rebuild Gaza, but we will not allow Gaza to be rebuilt until the demilitarisation occurs,” Kushner told Fox News on Monday.
“Nobody wants to put more money into a place that’s gone on for so long if it’s just going to be taken over by terrorists or blown up again.”
Trump again threatens to ‘bomb the s*** out of’ ally Oman over Strait of Hormuz
Donald Trump has threatened to launch an attack on Oman – a Middle East ally – over control of the Strait of Hormuz, which remains largely blocked amid the ongoing conflict between Washington and Iran.
A 60-day period to negotiate a ceasefire deal expired on Monday with no news of an extension and talks deadlocked in the same position as two months ago.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s**t out of them,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News, after reports Oman and Iran are working out their own solution to control the strategic waterway.
Trump told the outlet that the US had a backchannel with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, adding: “They should put up the white flag of surrender.”
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Turkey urges Trump to continue talks with Iran
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told his American counterpart Donald Trump that it was important to continue talks with Iran to pursue diplomacy.
The two leaders discussed the Iran and Gaza wars, bilateral ties and the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement during a phone call yesterday.
Erdogan reportedly told Trump that Turkey was ready to contribute to the peace talks between Washington and Tehran.
Hormuz crossings rise slightly from weekend
Ship crossings through the Strait of Hormuz were still in the single digits, despite a slight rise from the weekend, according to preliminary shipping data.
Six commodity ships transited the strait yesterday, of which three were exiting the Gulf and three were entering, Kpler ship-tracking data showed, compared with the 10-day average of 11 ships. Three ships transited on Saturday while two moved through the waterway on Sunday.
There were no very large crude carriers or tankers carrying liquefied natural gas passing through.
Five ways Trump could target Iran’s economy
U.S. President Donald Trump pledged on Friday to inflict severe economic damage on Iran following Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's announcement that Washington plans to levy unprecedented restrictions on Tehran as early as next week.
Trade embargoes, asset freezes, and sanctions have been imposed by the United States, European Union, and United Nations since the late 1970s, citing Tehran's nuclear ambitions, human rights abuses, and backing of militant factions.
More here.
Israeli minister calls for killing of ‘30 to 40’ people in Gaza every night
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the minister of national security in prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, made the comment while speaking on the first episode of the podcast The 8 October.
More here.
