Houthis claim Red Sea tanker strikes, US hits Iran again

Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for missile and drone strikes targeting two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. The rebels stated the vessels, identified as the Encelia and the Layla, "violated the blockade." This claim emerged as the United States conducted its twelfth consecutive night of airstrikes against Iranian military targets, intensifying the regional conflict.

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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.

A British naval security monitor confirmed an incident involving a tanker struck by an unknown projectile approximately 70 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq, resulting in a fire that the crew was attempting to control. The escalation in the Red Sea follows a previous Houthi threat to blockade Saudi ports, further destabilizing crucial Middle East shipping lanes already affected by tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump had previously threatened to destroy Iranian infrastructure in response to any attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. He stated on social media that for every attack on shipping, the US would "bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT." Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded via X, asserting that Iran's defense doctrine is "eye for an eye" and that "any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response."

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Our defence doctrine is clear: eye for an eye. Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response.

Iran's state broadcaster quoted the military as saying that US threats "will have no result other than the expansion of the war." Meanwhile, President Trump dismissed polls suggesting the war was unpopular as he prepared to receive the remains of four US service personnel killed in recent attacks. Brent crude oil prices briefly surpassed $95 a barrel, reflecting market concerns over the escalating conflict.

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US threats "will have no result other than the expansion of the war".