The United States launched a new series of strikes in Iran on Friday, while Iran-backed Houthi rebels opened a second front in the conflict, attacking Saudi tankers in the Red Sea and sending oil prices skyrocketing. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.
Oil heads for weekly gains as Red Sea attacks fuel supply fears
Oil headed for weekly gains on Friday as Houthi attacks on tankers in the Red Sea raised fears over the disruption of a second major shipping chokepoint, while Kazakhstan temporarily cut output after its main export route was forced to shut.
Brent futures eased 72 cents, or 0.72%, to $99.97 a barrel as of 0126 GMT, but remained on course for a 13.5% gain this week. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures fell 70 cents, or 0.76%, to $91.49 a barrel, on track for a 10.9% weekly rise.
Brent settled up 7% and WTI rose 6.2% on Thursday, the first time since May that Brent closed above $100 a barrel after Iran-backed Houthis said they had struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.
US military completes 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran
The US military said late on Thursday it had completed its latest round of strikes on Iran, marking a 13th consecutive night of American attacks.
The latest wave of strikes lasted more than two hours, according to US Central Command.
Welcome to the France 24 liveblog covering events in the Middle East. You can catch up on yesterday’s developments here.
• The US House narrowly passed a resolution to halt US military action in Iran, sending a warning to President Trump for the second time as the future of the conflict remains uncertain and has already cost the US $37.5 billion.
• Trump set a new condition to a US-Saudi nuclear deal signed the previous day by insisting the agreement was “totally subject to” the Gulf kingdom joining the Abraham Accords and normalising relations with Israel.
