Iran targets US military assets as Houthis threaten to widen the Middle East conflict

Iran targeted US radar and air defence installations in the Gulf on Tuesday and warned Washington of “more decisive and powerful” attacks, as the conflict threatened to widen with Houthi rebels in Yemen announcing plans to blockade Saudi ports.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked and halted two “non-compliant oil tankers” attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, intensifying efforts to tighten control over the crucial waterway as fighting resumed.

The United States launched a fresh wave of strikes against Iran late Monday, following the deaths of at least three US soldiers in recent days. Washington said the attacks were intended to further weaken Iranian military capabilities used to target commercial shipping in the strait.

Hours later, the Iranian army said it had struck US facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain, including air defence systems, radar installations and administrative buildings.

“With this radar sweep, the enemy should prepare for even more decisive and powerful waves of drone and missile attacks,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by state news agency IRNA.

US President Donald Trump warned Monday that Iran would pay “many times over” for every American soldier killed, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described the conflict as a “full-scale war”.

The Pentagon said nearly 100 US servicemembers had been wounded since July 7, most suffering minor concussions.

Red Sea threat

Meanwhile, Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen threatened to significantly expand the conflict by announcing a blockade of Saudi ports.

Such a move could jeopardise Riyadh’s ability to bypass the Strait of Hormuz for some of its oil exports, potentially causing major repercussions for the global economy.

Saudi Arabia and the Houthis exchanged fire last week for the first time in years, putting a 2022 truce under renewed strain. However, the rebels had largely stayed out of the conflict since Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran in late February.

Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the threat, referring to the Houthis as a “terrorist Houthi militia” and saying it continued to support the Yemeni people and their legitimate government.

The wider Middle East conflict resumed after an April ceasefire and a framework agreement reached in June collapsed.

Iran subsequently reinstated its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States responded by imposing a new blockade on Iranian ports.

Oil prices briefly climbed to a one-month high on Monday before easing slightly early Tuesday as the two sides continued their struggle for control of the strategic waterway, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies travelled during peacetime.

Although Saudi oil exports remain well below prewar levels, the kingdom has continued shipping millions of barrels per day through its Red Sea port of Yanbu.

For months, oil markets have feared that the Houthis could resume attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as they did during the Gaza war, potentially further disrupting global crude supplies.

The Houthis, who have fought Riyadh for more than a decade, have not yet explained how they intend to enforce the proposed blockade.

Diplomatic contacts continue

In the Strait of Hormuz, the Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday that two tankers attempting to pass through the waterway had been struck by explosions, causing major fires and bringing the vessels to a halt.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency earlier reported that an “unknown projectile” had struck a tanker off Oman’s coast. On Tuesday, the agency reported that another tanker in the same area had also been hit by a projectile.

Despite the escalation, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said diplomatic contacts with Washington through intermediaries were continuing.

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni is visiting Islamabad for two days, where he is scheduled to meet Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir, according to Pakistan’s interior ministry.

Meanwhile, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is due to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, as pressure mounts on Beirut to disarm Hezbollah—a key Israeli demand before withdrawing from southern Lebanon.