US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran and its Houthi allies with what he described as “major military punishment” after Yemen’s Houthi fighters claimed responsibility for missile and drone attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, raising fears of a wider regional conflict and sending global oil prices sharply higher.
The attacks mark a significant escalation in the conflict, extending hostilities to the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes, while compounding disruptions already affecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude surged more than six per cent, climbing above $100 per barrel for the first time since May, as traders reacted to growing concerns that the conflict could threaten another critical global energy corridor.
The latest developments came as the US military launched fresh airstrikes on Iranian targets late Thursday and early Friday, marking a 13th consecutive night of attacks following the collapse of an interim truce aimed at ending the war. Iran responded by launching strikes targeting neighbouring Arab countries hosting US military bases.
Iranian state media also reported missile strikes on Qeshm Island, located along the Strait of Hormuz, while state broadcaster IRIB said four people were killed and five others injured in a US missile attack on the southwestern city of Ahvaz.
Following the reported attacks on the Saudi tankers, Trump warned Tehran against any further Houthi operations.
“If they do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves,” Trump wrote on social media.
According to Axios, Trump also indicated he was considering a renewed large-scale military campaign against Iran.
“They haven’t received enough pain yet,” Trump was quoted as saying.
Trump further declared that “any and all damages done” to cargo ships would be paid for using Iranian assets frozen by the United States, although he did not explain how such a move would be implemented.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi condemned the proposal, warning that confiscating another country’s assets to settle future claims would have far-reaching consequences.
“Seizing another nation’s assets to pay for unrelated future claims is an incendiary precedent,” Araqchi wrote on X.
“No one’s assets were safe once governments normalised such confiscation. Ensuing chaos will not be pretty or peaceful.”
The Houthis, who control much of northern and western Yemen, said they had imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia and claimed responsibility for missile and drone strikes on the oil tankers Encelia and Layla.
A maritime security source said the Encelia transmitted a distress signal after being struck by a missile near the Saudi port of Jizan in the Red Sea. Saudi state news agency SPA reported that the attack caused a fire at the vessel’s bow.
Reuters could not independently verify the reported attack on the Layla, although Trump referenced attacks on two Saudi tankers.
Sources in Iran and Yemen told Reuters that Tehran had recently deployed Revolutionary Guard commanders, military advisers and missile- and drone-related equipment to Yemen before the Houthis announced their blockade. The Houthis rejected the report.
The attacks have intensified concerns over maritime security in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the strategic gateway linking the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and the world’s second most important energy shipping route after the Strait of Hormuz.
Several oil tankers have reportedly altered their routes to avoid the Bab el-Mandeb, opting instead for longer and more expensive voyages around Africa. Shipping insurance premiums for vessels transiting the southern Red Sea also doubled for some operators following the attacks.
Ship-tracking data showed tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to just one vessel on Thursday, the lowest level since May 7.
Meanwhile, Iran said it launched attacks on US missile systems, fuel depots and military facilities in Jordan and Kuwait in retaliation for American strikes on its territory.
Jordan’s military said it intercepted four Iranian missiles and six drones over the past day, with only one missile landing harmlessly in an uninhabited area.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also claimed they struck a US electronic warfare unit at Kuwait’s Al-Adiri base, causing unspecified casualties, although neither Washington nor Kuwait has confirmed any casualties.
Iranian military spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia said Tehran would continue retaliatory operations as long as US attacks on Iranian infrastructure and coastal areas persisted.
“Iran will keep retaliating as long as the U.S. continued to attack its infrastructure and coastal areas,” Iranian state television quoted Akraminia as saying.
The conflict is also fuelling political tensions in Washington, where rising oil prices have heightened inflation concerns ahead of November’s congressional elections.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted on Thursday in favour of legislation directing Trump to halt US military operations against Iran, arguing that only Congress has the constitutional authority to declare war. However, the Senate later rejected a similar measure, allowing the administration’s military campaign to continue.
Boluwatife Enome
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