A crew member was killed after an Iranian commercial ship was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz early on Sunday, Iranian media reported. There has been no statement so far from the US military, which has previously struck Iranian vessels to enforce its blockade of the country's ports. The attack could deepen the disruption to maritime activity in the vital waterway caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Tensions in the region have grown since Saudi Arabia temporarily closed its East-West pipeline, which it had been using to bypass the closure of the Hormuz, following a drone attack that Riyadh claimed originated in Iraq. The escalation has sparked fears of a further rise in energy prices, with the benchmark Brent crude surging above $100 a barrel last week. Meanwhile, the Houthis in Yemen said they had fired drones and missiles towards southern Saudi Arabia, putting new pressure on a key US ally in the region.
Saudi civil defence said sirens went off in the country's south on Saturday but did not report any damage or casualties. Britain’s Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said on Saturday he had spoken with Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud this morning and discussed Houthi aggression in Yemen and attacks against Saudi Arabia. He added that the United Kingdom "stands firmly with Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognised government of Yemen against these attacks." An Iranian commercial vessel was struck off southern Iran early on Sunday, killing one person and wounding three others, Iranian state media reported, citing the governor of Qeshm County.
As global shipping becomes even more challenged, Iran said a regional meeting is planned Monday between the foreign ministers of Gulf countries about talks between Tehran and Oman – located on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz – on managing shipping there. Commercial ship traffic remains low on what had been considered an international waterway before the war. Iran has expressed interest in having ships pay fees for transit.
It has said traffic into the Persian Gulf would pass through Iranian waters, while the outbound route would pass partly through Iranian waters and partly through Oman’s. But Iran has said reaching an agreement with Oman on the strait doesn’t mean it will open for shipping. The US military on Saturday said its forces had redirected 100 commercial vessels over the past 60 days.
Bahrain, however, said it will not attend any group meeting including Iran before the restoration of diplomatic relations between the countries. Iraq’s government confirmed that attacks that shut down a key Saudi oil pipeline on Thursday had originated from its territory. An umbrella group of Iran-backed militias in Iraq denied their involvement while praising the Houthis for their “ongoing battlefield victories against Saudi forces”.
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