US President Donald Trump promised yesterday “major military punishment” for Iran and its Houthi allies, after the Yemeni fighters struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, extending the Middle East war to a second major shipping chokepoint.
Fears that disruption could widen further to block another sea route sent global oil prices surging in one of the steepest rises of the war. Brent crude rose more than six per cent, breaking through $100 a barrel for the first time since May.
Two weeks since the effective collapse of an interim truce meant to end the war, the US military launched another round of air strikes on Iran overnight into yesterday. Iranian state media said a missile struck Qeshm Island on the Strait of Hormuz yesterday evening.
After the Houthis said they had struck the two tankers, Trump said he would hold Iran accountable for any further attacks by the fighters.
The Houthis, who control northern and western Yemen, said this week they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, which has diverted millions of barrels of oil per day by pipeline to the Red Sea to get around Iran’s blockade of Gulf oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
“If they do this again, the US will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He told news outlet Axios he was considering relaunching major combat operations in Iran and was close to a decision. “They haven’t received enough pain yet,” Axios quoted Trump as saying.
Bahrain, meanwhile, strongly condemned and denounced the terrorist attack in the Red Sea. The kingdom considered this a flagrant violation of international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as a severe threat to maritime safety, global trade, and energy supplies.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry affirmed the kingdom’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and completely supported all legitimate measures taken to safeguard its sovereignty, security, and vital interests.
The ministry reiterated its call on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to fulfil its responsibilities by ending these terrorist attacks and holding perpetrators accountable. It stressed the urgent need for decisive, deterrent action to safeguard maritime navigation across the Bab Al Mandab Strait, the Strait of Hormuz, and other vital international waterways, ensuring long-term regional and global stability.
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