New attacks on shipping as Iran war talks hit fresh impasse

• The U.S. and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks on shipping as prospects for ending the Iran war weakened. The incidents affected the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the Red Sea entrance, two key routes for global energy shipments.
• Oil prices rose as traders grew more worried about prolonged disruption. Brent crude climbed 1.4% to $88.91 per barrel, while U.S. crude gained 1.3% to $83.20, and global shares retreated amid broader market unease.
• A suspected Houthi attack on the Egyptian-owned cargo vessel Tihamah killed four crew members in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Yemen’s Coast Guard said two Yemeni rescuers were also killed, making the incident the first reported shipping fatalities tied to Houthi attacks since the Iran war began.
• The Houthis also claimed they attacked a Saudi ship carrying military equipment after previously threatening a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea. The ship was not named, Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond, and the claim heightened fears that attacks on commercial and military-linked vessels could expand.
• The U.S. military said a Navy helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles to disable a Panama-flagged cargo ship that allegedly ignored warnings while violating a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Maritime sources said the ship was hit off Pakistan while heading into the Gulf of Oman. Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless Washington accepts Tehran’s conditions, including releasing frozen Iranian assets and ending regional conflicts.
• President Donald Trump warned of harsher U.S. action while also suggesting the conflict could drag on, reinforcing concerns that shipping disruptions may persist.

(Source: Reuters)