Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Friday that four oil tankers, including one carrying more than two million barrels of oil, hit mines and caught fire while travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Yemeni authorities said Houthi rebels struck Aden, without causing any casualties, and Qatari mediators have returned to Tehran for talks with Iranian officials.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Friday:
Iran says supertanker struck mine and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Friday that a supertanker carrying more than two million barrels of oil struck a naval mine and caught fire while using an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported. The Guard said it was the fourth oil tanker to suffer an explosion Friday after attempting to use unauthorized routes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly warned vessels against passing through the strait without Tehran’s permission. It has claimed responsibility for attacks on ships and said last month that vessels attempting to pass through the strait without authorization would face “destruction.” Tehran has asserted control over much of the waterway since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28.
Earlier on Friday, the Guard’s navy said three other tankers caught fire after striking mines in the strait, Iranian state TV reported. It claimed the vessels had switched off their navigation and positioning systems and ignored repeated radio warnings. Iran’s report did not identify the vessels or provide details about the crews. The Associated Press could not verify those claims.
Meanwhile, Oman said it had evacuated 25 crew members from a Panama-flagged tanker that was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, 1.6 nautical miles off the coast of Musandam Governorate, catching fire. It is unclear whether that incident is related to the fires described by Iran.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre also reported Friday that a vessel was struck by an “unknown projectile” south of Lavan, an island just off mainland Iran near Shidvar. The organization, part of the British military that monitors maritime safety, said the crew was safe.
Yemen’s Houthis said to strike Aden
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked the port city of Aden with ballistic missiles on Friday, the spokesman for Yemen’s Saudi-backed military said, as fighting has escalated between the Iran-backed group and the Saudi-led coalition in the latest front in the Iran war.
Col. Majed al-Nazili said in a statement that the missiles targeted Aden international airport, which the Houthi rebels repeatedly struck this month, as well as the palace used by Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which was also attacked weeks ago.
Ahmed Hassan, who lives near the palace, said the explosions were so loud they broke the windows.
No casualties were reported, according to a government official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attacks.
The Saudi-led coalition also said Friday it intercepted and destroyed drones launched by the Houthis in the regions surrounding Mecca and Medina, Islam’s holiest cities. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree denied carrying out any operations targeting the areas.
Meanwhile, the United Nations said the number of displaced people in Yemen has surpassed 281,000, adding that “the crisis is spreading rather than stabilizing.”
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday for talks with Iranian officials
Iranian state media said Friday that Qatari mediators have returned to Iran for talks with officials, in the latest diplomatic push to try to broker an end to the war with the U.S. and Israel. The IRNA state news agency said the Qatari delegation was headed by the country’s foreign minister and senior adviser to the prime minister. It said they were meeting with senior Iranian officials but did not specify who.
The visit follows outreach from U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, who sent a letter in recent days to Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Tehran on Thursday acknowledged receipt of the letter but said it had not responded and did not detail its contents.
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested the letter was not about peace negotiations but instead about possibly allowing humanitarian aid.
Diplomats say U.S. officials have told Middle East countries and regional allies to be prepared for potential renewed military action against Iran after next week’s midterm elections in the United States.
Greece blasts Libya-Turkiye maritime agreement
Greece’s prime minister rejected a maritime agreement between Libya and Turkiye, which slices ownership of part of the eastern Mediterranean Sea between the two countries.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said it violates international law and should be considered null and void, and disregards the rights of Greek islands that lie between the Turkish and Libyan coasts.
The agreement, ratified by Libya’s parliament last week, revives a dispute with Egypt, Greece and Cyprus over rights in the eastern Mediterranean.
Speaking to participants of the Manama Dialogue, an annual security forum in Bahrain, via video link from New York, Mitsotakis called it a “preposterous agreement.” He called on the countries to find a solution “mutually acceptable” to the other nations that hug that section of the Mediterranean.
Israeli forces demolished two homes of Palestinian gunmen who attacked soldiers
Israeli forces demolished two homes in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Friday belonging to Palestinian gunmen who carried out an attack last week that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others. Israel launched a sweeping military operation following the attack last week, killing both gunmen, and ordered residents to evacuate the gunmen’s neighbourhood and closed roads into and out of Hebron.
The UN humanitarian office said earlier this week that more than 3,000 people had been displaced by Israeli forces, with closures disrupting businesses and movement throughout the city.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk warned earlier this week that the operation raised grave concerns about unnecessary and disproportionate use of force. He said statements by senior Israeli officials indicated the measures were punitive and designed to instill fear, and called for displaced residents to be allowed home. “Collective punishment is a grave violation of international law,” he said.
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The Associated Press
