Fresh attacks on commercial shipping in the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea have increased concerns that the conflict involving Iran could widen, as Tehran warned that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless Washington accepts its conditions for ending the war.
The attacks came as hopes for a quick diplomatic settlement weakened despite repeated statements from US President Donald Trump that an agreement could be reached soon. Oil prices rose as investors reacted to the growing uncertainty, while global shares retreated.
Brent crude futures gained 1.4 per cent to settle at $88.91 a barrel, while US crude rose 1.3 per cent to $83.20.
At the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, four crew members were killed in what Yemen’s Transport Ministry described as a suspected attack by Iran-aligned Houthi forces on the Egyptian-owned cargo vessel Tihamah. Yemen’s Coast Guard said two Yemeni rescuers from an anti-Houthi military group were also killed.
The Houthi-run Saba news agency said the group had attacked a Saudi vessel carrying military equipment. Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment on the claim.
The deaths would be the first reported fatalities involving commercial shipping linked to the Houthis since the Iran war began. The group said last month that it planned to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.
Separately, the US military said a Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at a Panama-flagged cargo ship to disable its steering system. US Central Command said the vessel had ignored repeated warnings to stop violating a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Maritime sources said the ship was struck off Pakistan while travelling toward the Gulf of Oman.
The incidents came alongside increasingly firm statements from Iranian officials. Mohsen Rezaei, a senior security official, said the Strait of Hormuz would not reopen unless the United States accepted Tehran’s demands, including the release of frozen Iranian assets and an end to conflicts in the region, including in Lebanon and Gaza.
The waterway carried about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before the war, making its continued closure a major concern for energy markets.
Trump has alternated between threats of military escalation and suggestions that negotiations could produce a settlement. He recently said Washington could allow Iran’s economy to weaken or launch much stronger attacks if necessary.
Thousands of people have been killed since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28. Iran has responded with strikes against US assets and infrastructure in several countries across the region.
Mohammad Reza Naqdi, an adviser to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander, said the force was developing the capability to conduct operations on foreign territory if ordered.
The latest developments have raised fears that further attacks could threaten major shipping routes and add fresh pressure to already volatile energy markets.
