U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged heavy missile and drone assaults, with Tehran targeting U.S. facilities in states across the Gulf and saying it had again closed the vital Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices higher. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Monday they targeted U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, destroyed radar systems in Oman, and struck fuel tanks and ammunition depots at Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan in their latest response to another wave of U.S. [Read more]

The number of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz fell to multi-week lows on Sunday, shipping data showed, as renewed strikes between the U.S. and Iran and attacks on ships in the Middle East heightened safety concerns. Six vessels transited the strait on Sunday, ship-tracking data from Kpler showed, the lowest number in five weeks. Tankers that exited the strait included the Very Large Crude Carrier Humanity, laden with 2 million barrels of Iranian oil and another tanker, Capetan [Read more]

Oil prices jumped on Monday as Iran expanded strikes on Gulf states following attacks by the United States, threatening energy shipments via the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures climbed $2.34, or 3.08%, to $78.35 by 2311 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose $2.21, or 3.09%, to $73.62 a barrel. Over the weekend, Tehran extended strikes on Qatar and the United Arab Emirates while the U.S. launched further strikes on Iran, the latest in a cycle of attacks and counter-attacks [Read more]

Iraq's prime minister will visit Washington on Monday to deepen strategic ties with the United States, with oil and gas deals expected to be signed as part of a broader push for economic, trade and investment cooperation. Iraq has been seeking to balance its ties with neighbouring Iran and the U.S. as military escalation between the two rivals continues. "The agreements to be signed will include several memorandums of understanding in the oil and gas sector as Iraq prepares to bring in various [Read more]

The U.S. military said on Saturday it launched a new round of strikes against Iran after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces attacked a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. "A civilian crew member is missing and the vessel is unable to continue the journey due to an onboard fire and significant engineroom damage," the U.S. Central Command said in a statement on X. The U.S. Central Command said the strikes were carried out at the direction of President Donald [Read more]

Iran on Sunday said it closed the Strait of Hormuz after a vessel traveled on an unapproved route and was struck, warning that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a "severe response." "A vessel that had jeopardized maritime security by switching off its systems was struck and brought to a halt," the Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement, without giving any details about the ship. The statement said several ships attempted to move through the [Read more]

Iran's Revolutionary Guards navy said early on Sunday it had closed the Strait of Hormuz until further notice after firing a warning shot at a vessel it said had attempted to transit along an unapproved route, state media reported. (Reporting by Yomna Ehab; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) [Read more]