US-Iran strikes: latest developments

Here are the latest main events related to the war in the Middle East.

- Saudi tanker hit in Red Sea -

A vessel belonging to a Saudi company was hit while transiting the Red Sea, Saudi state media reported Thursday citing an official source, after Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthi rebels claimed it struck tankers in the waterway.

The Houthis had threatened to blockade Saudi ports on the Red Sea -- a key route for oil shipments -- while the five-month war had already led to the effective closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz.

- US strikes more Iranian targets -

The United States launched strikes against Iranian military targets for a 12th consecutive night, US Central Command announced Wednesday.

Iran state media reported early Thursday Tehran time that the cities of Ramshir and Ahvaz, in the country's southwest, were under "missile attack by the US terrorist enemy," while authorities in Bushehr province, along Iran's Gulf coast, reported an attack there by a US missile.

- US-Saudi nuclear deal -

The United States said it had reached a civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia, a landmark agreement that would establish a civilian nuclear programme in the Gulf country, with Washington insisting it includes safeguards against nuclear proliferation.

"Together, these two agreements lay the legal foundation for a decades-long, multi-billion-dollar partnership that advances several priority economic and strategic objectives, including nuclear nonproliferation," the US Energy Department said in a statement.

- Kuwait intercepts drones -

Kuwait's army said early Thursday it was intercepting hostile drones, following several days of Iranian strikes on the country.

"Kuwaiti air defenses are currently responding to hostile drone threats," the army said in an overnight message on X. "Any explosions that may be heard are the result of air defense systems intercepting hostile targets."

- Iran warns 'eye for an eye' -

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would respond in kind to any attack on its infrastructure, after Washington threatened to bomb a bridge or power plant for every ship targeted in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Our defence doctrine is clear: eye for an eye. Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response," Araghchi said on X.

- Trump threatens payback -

Trump threatened to knock out one Iranian bridge or power plant in return for each attack on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, warning he was "not finished" with a war that has already cost Washington $37.5 billion.

"Any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT," Trump wrote Wednesday on social media on a day he attended the return of four more US service members killed in the war.

- Oil prices jump -

World oil prices jumped with the benchmark international contract Brent North Sea crude briefly surpassing $95 for the first time in nearly six weeks before ending at $94.07.

US benchmark counterpart West Texas Intermediate gained nearly three percent to $86.83.

- Houthi warnings to ships -

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have been recorded sending radio warnings to ships, the International Chamber of Shipping told AFP, after the rebels announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia.

"We can confirm that the Houthis were recorded transmitting a warning message to ships in the region," the ICS said. 

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