Fresh attacks near the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb have deepened concerns over a prolonged Iran war, as Tehran says the key waterway will stay shut until Washington meets its demands.
The United States and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi reported separate attacks involving commercial shipping on Tuesday, as hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough in the Iran war weakened further. Tehran warned that the strategically important Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless Washington agreed to conditions set by Iran for ending the conflict.
The incidents took place at two critical maritime chokepoints — the Gulf of Oman, which leads toward the Strait of Hormuz, and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. Both waterways are crucial routes for global energy and commercial shipments. The latest developments came despite repeated claims by US President Donald Trump that an agreement with Iran could be close.
Financial markets reflected growing uncertainty over the conflict. Oil prices moved higher while global equities declined as investors became less confident about a swift resolution. Brent crude settled 1.4 per cent higher at $88.91 a barrel, while US crude gained 1.3 per cent to $83.20.
Houthi attack kills crew members in Red Sea
Four crew members were killed after a small cargo vessel came under a suspected Houthi attack in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemen’s Transport Ministry said on Tuesday. Two Yemeni rescuers affiliated with an anti-Houthi military force were also killed, according to the country’s Coast Guard.
If confirmed, the deaths aboard the Egyptian-owned Tihamah would represent the first reported fatalities involving commercial shipping caused by the Iran-aligned Houthis since the war began.
The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency said the group had attacked a Saudi vessel that it claimed was transporting military equipment through the Bab el-Mandeb. The agency did not identify the ship, and Saudi authorities had not immediately responded.
The Houthis had announced last month that they intended to establish a naval blockade targeting Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.
Meanwhile, the US military said one of its Navy MH-60 helicopters launched two Hellfire missiles against a Panama-flagged cargo ship, striking its steering system and disabling it.
According to the US Central Command, the vessel had ignored several warnings and continued to violate the naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports. Maritime sources said the ship was struck off Pakistan while heading towards the Gulf of Oman.
Iran hardens position over Strait of Hormuz
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have intensified further over the past two days, with both sides adopting a tougher tone.
Mohsen Rezaei, Iran’s top security official, said on Tuesday that Tehran would not allow shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to resume unless the United States accepted its demands. These include the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad and an end to conflicts across the region, including those involving Lebanon and Gaza.
His comments came a day after Trump made another demand, saying Iran should compensate people who had been killed during five decades of wars, attacks and protests.
Trump has repeatedly shifted between threatening stronger military action against Iran and suggesting that a peace agreement could be reached soon. In an interview released late Monday, he indicated that the uncertainty could continue, saying he could allow Iran’s economy to deteriorate or resort to much heavier military action.
“I’m sort of negotiating,” Trump said, while describing Iranian negotiators as highly deceptive.
Yet on Tuesday, after visiting Ohio, Trump offered a more confident assessment of the situation, saying Iran was doing “absolutely fine” and claiming that the US had complete control over the Strait of Hormuz.
He also warned that Iran could face devastating consequences if it took further action, while asserting that Washington currently held a strong position against Tehran.
Trump additionally addressed reports that he had secretly changed aircraft in Turkey last month because of concerns over a possible Iranian assassination attempt. He suggested that the alternative aircraft could have been at greater risk of being targeted and said major political leaders routinely face threats.
Hormuz closure could prolong global energy disruption
Rezaei’s warning represents one of the clearest indications yet that Iran does not intend to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in the immediate future.
Before the war, the waterway carried roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, making any prolonged disruption a major threat to global energy markets.
“As long as America does not change its behaviour and does not accept Iran’s conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened,” Rezaei said, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Washington had not immediately responded to the latest Iranian demand.
The conflict has already resulted in thousands of deaths since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28. Tehran has retaliated by targeting US assets and infrastructure in several countries, including Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
The possibility of further escalation also grew after Mohammad Reza Naqdi, an adviser to the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said on Iranian state television that the force was working to develop the capability to conduct operations on what he called “enemy soil.”
He said Iran needed to be capable of taking its operations into enemy territory whenever its leadership considered such action necessary, describing this as an essential element of an offensive military doctrine.
With inputs from agencies
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