Iran says it destroys U.S. advanced drone over Hormuz as Middle East conflict intensifies — SkimNews
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- Iran's IRGC said Monday it intercepted and destroyed an advanced US MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz using a "new advanced aerospace defence system," without disclosing the drone's mission; the MQ-1 is manufactured by General Atomics
- Trump said Sunday at the Irish Open the US could "stay and keep the oil like Venezuela," citing the August deal in which Venezuela ceded majority US control of 65+ billion barrels of oil reserves in exchange for $209 billion to its state treasury
- Trump predicted the seven-month Iran war would end this year, possibly after the November midterm elections, and said gasoline prices would "drop like a rock" once it does
- Oman's foreign minister Badr Albusaidi postponed a Monday meeting between Gulf states and Iran on Hormuz agreements, citing the need for "consensus," and no direct US-Iran talks are ongoing
- Oil prices surged past $100 a barrel for the first time since May, with WTI up 2.3% to $102.39 and Brent up 2.4% to $107.11, after Saudi Arabia shut a key East-West pipeline damaged by Iraqi drones
- Yemen's Houthi rebels have gained leverage over a second critical waterway, the Bab el-Mandeb, through a blistering recent offensive that compounds the Hormuz blockade
Why it matters: With diplomacy stalled and oil back above $100 (WTI $102.39, Brent $107.11), drivers and energy buyers absorb immediate cost pressure. Trump's Venezuela-style framing signals seizure of Iranian oil remains an active US option, keeping energy markets volatile through midterm season.
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