Iran-US war live: Trump launches new wave of strikes as UAE condemns Iran’s ‘brazen’ attacks on tankers

The US embassy in Abu Dhabi and the US Consulate General in Dubai ​have cancelled consular appointments from 13-15 July due to the regional security situation, the embassy said in a security alert.

The embassy said it remains on ordered departure status and non-emergency US government personnel have been relocated outside the country.

Iran’s ​Revolutionary Guard this morning said two “offending supertankers” have ⁠been hit and disabled in the Strait of Hormuz after ⁠the ​ships ignored ⁠warnings, turned off navigation systems ⁠and attempted to ​pass ⁠through “a mined route”, ‌Iranian media reported, citing a ‌statement from the Guard.

The ‌Guard said the US was “inciting vessels to use an illegal route” and that cooperation with the “aggressor ‌enemy” would ​result in ‌damage, delays in ⁠reopening the strait ⁠and a global ‌energy ​crisis.

One Indian crew member was killed and eight others were wounded when two Emirati oil tankers were struck by Iranian cruise missiles in the Strait of ⁠Hormuz, the UAE said this morning.

The UAE’s defence ministry said the tankers, the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, were targeted in the southern lane of the strait while in Omani territorial waters. The dead crew member was aboard the Mombasa, it said.

Of the eight wounded, four were seriously injured. Six of the wounded were ⁠Indian nationals and two were Ukrainian nationals, the ministry said.

The attacks ​caused ⁠material damage to both tankers after fires broke out on board. The ministry said the fires had been brought under control. It condemned what it called a “blatant attack” and said the UAE retained “its full ⁠right to respond to this escalation”.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said this morning that two “offending” supertankers had been ​hit and ⁠disabled in the Strait of Hormuz after ignoring ‌repeated warnings, turning off navigation systems and attempting to pass through what the Guard described as a mined route.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said it targeted “several weapons storage depots, a satellite communications centre, and a building housing US forces” at the AlJuffair base in Bahrain.

Air raid sirens were sounded in Bahrain at least three times this morning, urging people to take immediate shelter.

Iran said the missile and drone attacks were part of the second phase of its “retaliation operation”.

The US military said late ⁠last night that its forces have completed ⁠their ​latest ⁠wave of ⁠strikes on ​Iran.

“During ⁠the five-hour ‌mission, US forces successfully struck ‌military targets ‌across Iran, including ⁠Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas,” ‌the US Central ​Command ‌said ⁠in a ⁠statement on ‌X.

It said the US troops “employed precision munitions against Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities”.

Oil prices rose 2 per cent this morning to their highest in four weeks, as the US reimposed its naval blockade of Iran while the two countries stepped ​up attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, heightening uncertainty about energy flows.

Brent ‌crude futures climbed $1.68, or 2 per cent, to $84.98 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.65, or 2.1 per cent, to $79.79 a barrel. Brent crude surged 9.6 per cent in the previous session, its biggest ​daily gain since May 2020.

Oil prices are now at their highest since the ​two countries signed a memorandum of understanding to end the war on 17 June.

The US military has said that it used one-way attack sea drones in Iran for the first time.

In an update on Monday morning, US Central Command said it had struck “dozens of targets at multiple locations with precision munitions” as they sought to degrade Tehran’s ability to attack shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

“CENTCOM forces struck Iranian military air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats using US fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack aerial drones, and one-way attack sea drones for the first time,” it added.

Share markets slipped in Asia on Monday as fighting intensified in the Gulf and Iran claimed to have closed the vital Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices surging and rekindling ⁠inflation risks globally.

Brent crude climbed 3.3 per cent in early trade to reach $78.50 a barrel, up from the recent trough of $70.14, while US crude added 3.4 per cent to $73.83 a barrel. US officials said around 20 vessels had been escorted through the strait in the previous 24 hours, though ship tracking sites showed ⁠little traffic moving.

Over the weekend, Tehran extended strikes on Qatar ​and the United Arab Emirates while the US launched further strikes ​on Iran, the latest in a cycle of attacks and ⁠counter-attacks over shipping through the strait.

Early information is trickling out about alleged Iranian retaliation to recent U.S. strikes.

In Bahrain, missile alerts sounded because of strikes from Tehran, the Associated Press reported early Tuesday local time.

An adviser to Bahrain’s king said on social media that the kingdom’s air defenses intercepted and destroyed multiple inbound Iranian attacks.

Separate Iranian strikes killed one crew member and wounded eight others on a pair of Emirati oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the defense ministry of the United Arab Emirates said early Tuesday.

The U.A.E. condemned what it called the “blatant attack” and insisted the country retained its “full right ​to respond to this escalation.”

The strike itself occurred in waters off Oman, Reuters reports.