New attacks on shipping as Iran war talks hit fresh impasse

The US and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks on shipping in crucial global chokepoints on Tuesday, fueling renewed pessimism about an end to the conflict. Prospects for resolving the war appeared to dim as Iran stated the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless Washington meets its conditions.

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The US and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks on shipping on Tuesday as prospects for ending the Iran war appeared to dim, with Tehran saying the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless Washington accepts its conditions.

Oil prices climbed amid the renewed uncertainty, with Brent crude futures settling 1.4% higher at $88.91 per barrel and US crude rising 1.3% to $83.20. The attacks occurred in the Gulf of Oman, leading to the Strait of Hormuz, and at the entrance to the Red Sea, both vital routes for global oil supplies.

In the Red Sea, four crew members died in a suspected Houthi attack on a cargo vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemen's Transport Ministry reported. Two rescuers from an anti-Houthi military group were also killed. These were the first reported deaths on shipping attributed to the Houthis since the war began.

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The fatalities aboard the Egyptian-owned Tihamah would be the first deaths on shipping by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis since the Iran war began.

The Houthi-run Saba news agency claimed responsibility for an attack on a Saudi ship carrying military equipment in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, though the ship was not named and Saudi Arabia had no immediate response. Meanwhile, the US military announced an MH-60 helicopter fired Hellfire missiles to disable the steering gear of a Panama-flagged cargo ship that ignored warnings to stop violating a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Maritime sources indicated the ship was hit off Pakistan while sailing into the Gulf of Oman.

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The ship ignored repeated warnings to stop violating a naval blockade on Iranian ports, the US Central Command said.

Both Iran and the United States have escalated their rhetoric. Iran's top security official, Mohsen Rezaei, declared the Strait of Hormuz would stay closed unless the US agrees to release Iran's frozen assets and end regional conflicts. This followed a new demand from US President Donald Trump for Iran to compensate for past wars and attacks. Trump has fluctuated between threats and claims of an imminent peace deal, suggesting in a recent interview that the uncertainty might continue.

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The vital Strait of Hormuz shipping route will remain closed unless the US accepts Iran’s conditions to end the war – the release of Iran’s frozen assets and an end to conflicts throughout the region, including in Lebanon and Gaza.