Trump Warns Iran and Houthis of Major Military Punishment After Red Sea Tanker Strikes
President Donald Trump threatened Iran and the Houthi rebels with major military punishment after Houthi strikes on Saudi tankers in the Red Sea drove Brent crude above $100 a barrel for the first time since May. [1]
Trump Issues Warning to Iran and Houthis
President Donald Trump said the United States would hold Iran responsible for the Houthis' actions and warned both would soon receive a "major military punishment". [1] Iran and the United States threatened on Thursday to step up attacks on one another after Tehran's Houthi allies struck Saudi shipping and sent oil prices soaring. [1] "The armed forces' retaliatory attacks will continue as long as the US attacks on the country's infrastructure and coastal areas continue," Iran's army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said, according to state television. [1]
Houthi Attacks Drive Oil Prices Above $100
Yemen's Houthis joined the conflict this week, declaring a blockade of Saudi ports and claiming attacks on tankers. [1] The Houthis said they had carried out missile and drone strikes on two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, the Encelia and the Layla, after declaring their blockade of Saudi ports. [1] The international oil benchmark Brent crude surged past $100 a barrel for the first time since May, up 7%, while world leaders expressed alarm after Yemen's rebels hit oil tankers in the Red Sea. [1] European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde warned "the energy shock could intensify further" and push up inflation, feeding speculation about a September eurozone interest rate hike. [1] German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, meanwhile, warned of "dire consequences" for oil-importing economies and said "nothing – absolutely nothing – suggests that a ceasefire, let alone peace, could be reached". [1] British naval security monitor UKMTO said the master of a tanker reported being hit by an unknown projectile about 70 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq, causing a fire. [1] Saudi Arabia confirmed the Encelia had been struck, without commenting on the other tanker. [1] Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they stopped three oil tankers from transiting Hormuz as they vie with the US Navy for control over a route through which around one fifth of the world's oil once passed. [1]
UN Chief Warns of Escalating Crises
"The situation is getting out of control. It is teetering on the edge of the unimaginable," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned. [1] "One crisis feeds another. One escalation triggers the next," he told a meeting of the UN Security Council. [1] The war resumed this month after a ceasefire that had lasted just a few weeks, throwing the region back into chaos as Iran and the United States battled for control of the vital Strait of Hormuz. [1]
US Strikes and Iranian Reports of Casualties
US Central Command reported its 12th consecutive night of strikes, saying it aimed to "further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters". [1] Iranian state media said on Thursday that a US attack killed two people at Shalamcheh on the Islamic republic's border with Iraq. [1] It also reported that two US missiles hit Bushehr, home to the country's only civilian nuclear plant and a frequent target of Washington's strikes. [1] Later, the Tasnim news agency reported a missile attack on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. [1] Jordan and Kuwait both reported intercepting strikes as Iran's military and Revolutionary Guards claimed to be targeting US assets in both countries. [1] Kuwait, meanwhile, reported a drone attack against one of its border posts with Iraq, saying it caused no casualties. [1] The emirate also later said its air defences were "intercepting hostile missile and drone attacks following the wrongful Iranian aggression". [1]
Domestic US Opposition to the Conflict
Disapproval of President Donald Trump’s handling of Iran hit a record high in July, as a majority of voters oppose U.S. military action, and nearly two thirds think the conflict will last at least a year. [5] The latest Fox News survey finds 56% oppose U.S. military action against Iran, including 40% who "strongly" oppose. [5] More Democrats oppose the war (84%) than Republicans support it (76%). [5] Voters increasingly expect a long-term commitment. Today, 64% think the war will last a year or more, up 13 percentage points since May. [5] Just 34% of voters approve of Trump’s handling of Iran, while 66% disapprove, his worst marks to date. [5] Trump’s overall standing remains steady, but underwater. Thirty-nine percent approve of his job performance, unchanged for the past three months. [5] Sixty-one percent disapprove, tying a previous high. [5]
Diplomatic Reactions and Mediation Efforts
On the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Manila, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Houthis had been "suckered" into attacking Red Sea shipping by Iran. [1] "The Houthis largely were smart and stayed out of all this throughout the conflict, but they now apparently have gotten themselves suckered into this, going after Saudi Arabia and their ships," Rubio said. [1] "I hope they will de-escalate, because I think the Houthis, frankly, got snookered into this thing by the Iranians." [1] Oman, a key mediator in the longstanding war between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, said it was working to resume talks between the two sides as it voiced "great concern" at the situation in the Red Sea. [1]
What to watch next: Oman mediation efforts to resume talks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, alongside any further US Central Command strikes aimed at degrading Iran's capabilities in regional waters.
