IRAN ~ As the U.S. entered its 12th day of bombings inside Iran, a new front in the U.S.-Iran War opened up on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.
The Houthis, an Iranian-backed militia in Yemen, announced earlier in the week that they would begin a naval blockade on neighboring Saudi Arabia after the two traded missile strikes last week, breaking a truce that was reached in 2022. The Houthis have already claimed to have struck two Saudi oil tankers amid their blockade, with president Doanld Trump threatening to deal “major military punishment” on the Houthis if they continue the attacks.
With the flow of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz reduced greatly amid U.S. and Iranian fighting, the blockade makes the Red Sea the second major waterway critical to the global oil supply being disrupted. Global oil prices have now shot up to over $100 a barrel for the first time since May.
Over 50 civilians have died in Iran since the start of July, adding to the over 3,500 people total killed by Israel and the U.S. since the latter two started the war in late February. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes at U.S. bases in countries such as Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait, with 17 U.S. troops dead since the start of the war.
