A cargo ship reported being hit by an unknown projectile at 2 am local time while sailing 37 kilometres northeast of Al Khasab in Oman, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO). The incident occurred in the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas passed before the war began. The UKMTO did not provide further information on the ship, including its flag or whether it was carrying cargo. The strait has been effectively shut by Iran's attacks on shipping since the war started in February, while the US has also imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the waterway.
US President Donald Trump said Monday that talks with Iran had resumed, a day after saying he called off massive strikes he had threatened to unleash on the country. Trump said he pulled back at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Monday that no negotiations were being held with the US, adding that Tehran's talks were only with Oman and focused on establishing a route for safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump voiced frustration with Iran, suggesting Tehran had asked for the talks, which are critical to ending the monthslong conflict and reviving stalled cargo traffic through the strait. "Iranian Leadership is unbelievably duplicitous!" Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform.
A drone strike on gas vessels in Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta has signalled a potential new front in the US-Iran war, raising concerns about threats to navigation through the Suez Canal. According to reports from Reuters, the Egyptian cabinet confirmed on Thursday that an initial investigation showed an unidentified drone caused a fire on Wednesday on two vessels at Damietta port, near the Suez Canal. Trading sources familiar with the incident said the drone hit US-owned gas storage tanker Energos Winter, causing a fire that spread to another vessel. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, with the cabinet adding that authorities were taking measures to protect Egypt's national security. The port's strategic location near the Suez Canal, which links the Mediterranean and Red Sea, makes it particularly significant as one of the last remaining export routes for Saudi oil.
The latest strikes in Iraq and Egypt threatened to draw more Middle Eastern countries into the conflict after the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen declared a naval blockade last week on Saudi Arabia. According to Reuters, US bases in Jordan have become primary Iranian targets, with Jordan's armed forces intercepting five Iranian missiles earlier on Thursday. An Iranian attack also hit a building owned by a Chinese company in northern Kuwait, killing a worker and inflicting significant damage, Kuwait's Defence Ministry said. The attacks on ships by Ansar Allah fighters in Yemen prompted London's marine insurance market to widen its "high risk" zone in the Red Sea to include more of the coast adjacent to Saudi ports. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's defence minister met Vice-President JD Vance in Washington to urge the Trump administration not to escalate the conflict further, according to sources who spoke to Reuters.
In a significant development, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday publicly joined US-led strikes targeting Iran-aligned groups in eastern Iraq, marking the first such move since the five-month conflict began. This retaliation came after drone attacks launched from Iraq against Saudi oil facilities. Following the joint strikes, Saudi Defence Minister met US Vice-President JD Vance in Washington on Wednesday, urging the Trump administration not to escalate the conflict further, according to sources who spoke to Reuters. The war began in February when the US and Israel launched a bombing campaign in Iran that President Donald Trump said would last only a few weeks, with a temporary ceasefire agreement reached in June that collapsed after renewed fighting over the Strait of Hormuz.
