US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the interim agreement between the United States and Iran aimed at ending weeks of hostilities was effectively "over," following a sharp escalation in military exchanges across the Gulf that has further rattled global energy markets and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Attacks on commercial shipping resumed in the Strait of Hormuz, with two vessels struck in separate incidents that have heightened fears over the security of the shipping lane and threatened to derail recent diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions.
The Middle East conflict entered a new phase over the weekend as the United States paused its bombing campaign against Iran after 13 consecutive nights of strikes, while violence shifted to the Red Sea where Iran-backed Houthi rebels targeted Saudi commercial assets, prompting retaliatory military action by Saudi Arabia.
The United States and Iran exchanged a fresh wave of military strikes for a sixth consecutive night, deepening fears of a wider regional conflict as Tehran prepared to expand its pressure on global energy supplies by threatening to shut another critical maritime chokepoint at the entrance to the Red Sea.
The General Command of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) said that its air defence systems successfully intercepted and destroyed several treacherous Iranian aerial attacks on Friday.
The United States intensified its military campaign against Iran on Tuesday, reimposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports, launching another wave of strikes on military targets and warning of attacks on key infrastructure unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
Oil prices jumped sharply at the start of Asian trading on Monday after the United States launched a second consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military targets and Tehran retaliated with fresh attacks, heightening fears of disruption to crude shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil transit chokepoint.
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.
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.
Abu Dhabi authorities said they responded to two incidents of falling shrapnel at the Habshan gas facilities and the Ajban area, following successful interception by air defence systems.
