(AFP) – Here are the main events related to the war in the Middle East:
– **New US strikes**
The United States military said Thursday it was attacking Iran for the 13th night in a row, adding that strikes were aimed at military targets with the goal of diminishing Iranian ability to attack shipping. Iranian state media reported that US missiles had hit the city of Ahvaz, near the border with Iraq, and explosions were heard in the port city of Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz and in Omidiyeh.
– **’Frozen assets for shipping damage’**
US President Donald Trump said Washington would start using frozen Iranian assets “that the United States has in its possession, and controls” to pay for “any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo or anything related” in the region.
– **Kuwait under attack**
Kuwaiti air defences have opened fire on incoming Iranian missiles and drones, hours after reporting a new drone attack at the border crossing with Iraq. “Kuwaiti air defences are currently intercepting hostile missile and drone attacks following the wrongful Iranian aggression,” the general staff said in a message posted on social media.
– **Trump rebuked**
The US House of Representatives passed a largely symbolic resolution calling for President Donald Trump to halt military action against Iran, delivering another congressional rebuke as the Middle East war escalates. The measure directs Trump to remove US forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress explicitly authorises the war.
– **Houthi attacks ‘illegal’**
Attacks on oil tankers in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthi militants have drawn condemnation from around Europe. Germany said the attacks risked escalating conflicts, Britain condemned the group’s “reckless actions,” and EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said the attacks were “unacceptable” and “illegal.”
– **UN chief warning**
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Middle East conflict was “getting out of control.” “It is teetering on the edge of the unimaginable,” he said.
– **Oil passes $100**
The price of the benchmark international oil contract, Brent North Sea, soared more than eight percent to reach $101.93 a barrel after Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck oil tankers in the Red Sea. The main US oil contract, West Texas Intermediate, rose 7.6 percent to $93.44 a barrel.
– **Island strike**
Iranian news outlet Tasnim reported that a US missile had hit a site near the town of Suza on Qeshm Island, in the disputed Strait of Hormuz.
– **Trump threatens Houthis**
Trump threatened Yemen’s Houthi rebels with “major military punishment” after they launched missile and drone strikes at oil tankers in the Red Sea. “The US will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis themselves,” should the rebels launch further attacks, Trump said on his Truth Social network.
– **Britain withdraws Iran staff**
Britain said it had withdrawn remaining diplomatic staff from Iran. “Due to the security situation, UK staff have been temporarily withdrawn from Iran. Our embassy continues to operate remotely,” the foreign ministry said on its website.
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© 2024 AFP
