The United States launched a fresh wave of military strikes against Iran on Sunday after Tehran targeted a merchant vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz, sharply escalating a conflict that has spread across the Gulf and further dimmed hopes for a return to diplomacy.
Oil prices settled lower on Friday after the latest round of US-Iran fighting as traders grew hopeful that shipping would eventually resume in the Strait of Hormuz, but prices finished with sharp weekly gains. Brent crude futures fell by 29 cents to close at $76.01 a barrel.
Oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a near standstill on Thursday as renewed military exchanges between the United States and Iran shattered a three-week-old ceasefire, raising fresh concerns over energy supplies and regional security.
The US and Iran held indirect technical talks in Doha on Wednesday as they seek to agree on the flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and secure a lasting ceasefire, a source with direct knowledge of the talks and an Iranian official said.
Iran and Israel said on Monday they had halted attacks against each other following an appeal from US President Donald Trump, while US forces simultaneously escalated pressure on Tehran by disabling an oil tanker attempting to reach an Iranian port in defiance of Washington's naval blockade.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Iran had shot down a US Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz and vowed to respond, deepening doubts about prospects for peace between the two countries. Two US pilots involved in the incident were uninjured, said media reports.
Israel launched strikes against military targets in western and central Iran early Monday, defying reported calls from US President Donald Trump for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from retaliatory action following an Iranian missile attack on Israel.
Bahrain announced on Saturday that its air defences intercepted Iranian missiles, while strongly condemning Iranian attacks targeting the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Kuwait earlier in the day.
Iran fired missiles toward Bahrain and Kuwait as the United States carried out fresh military strikes against Iranian targets and enforced its maritime blockade in the Gulf yesterday, in one of the most serious escalations since a fragile ceasefire took hold.
Air travel to and from Kuwait faced disruption on Wednesday after hostile drones struck Terminal One at Kuwait International Airport, forcing authorities to suspend flight operations at the terminal and divert aircraft to alternative airports.
