U.S. military bombs Iran for 10th consecutive night in renewed push to open Strait of Hormuz
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- U.S. Central Command is conducting its 10th consecutive night of strikes on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, targeting military command centres, air defence sites, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks
- Iran struck U.S.-allied Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain — home of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet — with Jordan shooting down three Iranian missiles and Bahrain condemning drone strikes on its air traffic systems
- Two U.S. soldiers were killed in Jordan and a third American died in Iraq during a 'controlled detonation' of a downed Iranian drone, bringing the total U.S. service member deaths to 17 since the war began Feb. 28
- Brent crude traded above US$88 a barrel and U.S. gasoline climbed to a US$4-a-gallon average as Strait of Hormuz shipping largely stalled, putting pressure on Americans ahead of fall midterm elections
- Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, threatening the pipeline route Saudi Arabia has been using to move millions of barrels of oil to market
- The U.S. military reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports last week, redirecting seven ships and disabling one since then, while a second vessel caught fire near Oman after being hit by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz
- Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni arrived in Islamabad for two days of talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as Pakistan intensifies mediation to revive the collapsed ceasefire
Why it matters: With Brent crude above $88 and U.S. gasoline at $4 a gallon, the collapse of the interim ceasefire is hitting American consumers ahead of midterm elections — and Iran has now gotten Houthi allies to threaten Saudi Arabia's Red Sea pipeline, the backup route for oil exports already choked off by the Strait of Hormuz blockade.
