Tensions in the Middle East continued to escalate on Monday, with the US continuing its nine-day bombing streak against Iran following the death of two US service members killed in Iranian attacks.
The US initially reinstated its naval blockade on Iranian ports and launched bombing raids on Iran in response to Iranian ships targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz in violation of a signed memorandum of understanding. Iran has since retaliated by targeting US bases in the region, including in Jordan, where two US service members were killed in action last week.
New attacks on commercial vessels occurred on Sunday and Monday near the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf of Oman, with one vessel being hit east of Dibba, UAE, and another off the coast of Kumzar, Oman. Multiple ships were struck on Sunday, with one incident occurring 17 nautical miles east of Dibba, in which a vessel was damaged by an unknown projectile, and another incident happening eight nautical miles off the coast of Kumzar, Oman, which has been classified as an attack.
Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have also imposed a naval blockade on the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the gateway between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden near Saudi Arabia's western coastline, in an effort to stop Saudi oil exports to Asia and potentially reduce global oil supply by 7%. The Houthis' armed forces described the blockade as a "maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy", sparking concerns of a wider regional conflict.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres' spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, warned that the blockade risks an "even wider" regional conflict, while US officials have indicated that the US will continue to take "devastating blows" against Iran to hold it accountable for its actions. President Trump has threatened Iran with severe consequences, stating that Iran will "pay many times over" for killing American troops and for continued hostilities.
