(AFP) – The latest developments in the Middle East war:
– **US says destroyed Iran boats**
US forces destroyed six Iranian boats and shot down missiles and drones fired at US Navy and commercial vessels by Tehran’s military, a top US admiral said. US Apache and Seahawk helicopters hit “six Iranian small boats threatening commercial shipping,” Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, told journalists. US forces also “effectively engaged” all of the “missiles and drones that were fired at both us and the commercial ships,” Cooper said. Tehran denied its boats were destroyed, saying: “The US claim that it sank a number of Iranian war boats is false.”
– **Trump: ‘no damage’ in Hormuz**
President Donald Trump downplayed tensions after US warships entered the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran had “taken some shots” but caused no harm apart from damage to a South Korean vessel. “Other than the South Korean Ship, there has been, at this moment, no damage going through the Strait,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
– **UAE hit**
The United Arab Emirates said it was targeted by Iranian strikes, including one on its vital Fujairah energy hub that wounded three Indians. “These attacks represent a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable transgression,” the UAE’s foreign ministry said, adding that the country reserves the “right to respond.” Iran had “no plans” to attack the UAE, a senior Iranian military official said after the attacks.
– **Two injured in Oman**
Two people were injured in Oman, on its coast along the Strait of Hormuz, when a residential building was targeted, state media reported. Two expatriate workers were moderately hurt and four vehicles were damaged in the strike on Bukha, the Oman News Agency said.
– **Oil prices jump**
Oil prices soared on the revived conflict, with the Brent crude contract for July delivery jumping more than five percent soon after the shooting started.
– **Israel on high alert**
An Israeli military official said the army remained on high alert and was monitoring the situation after the US admiral announced the destroyed Iranian boats and shot-down missiles.
– **US destroyers in Hormuz**
US destroyers entered the Gulf as part of a mission to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said. After the announcement, Iranian state television reported that the Islamic republic’s navy fired cruise missiles, rockets and combat drones near the US ships, after multiple warning shots.
– **’No ships crossed Hormuz’**
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards denied any commercial ships transited the Strait of Hormuz, after the US military said two US-flagged merchant vessels had passed through the vital waterway under escort. “The claims of American officials are baseless and completely false,” the Guards said in a statement on Telegram.
– **Lebanon says security deal needed**
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said a security deal and an end to Israeli attacks were needed before any meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sought by Washington. Aoun’s office said in a statement that the president “reiterated his view that the timing is not appropriate now for a meeting” with Netanyahu.
– **Hezbollah reports clashes**
Hezbollah said its forces clashed with Israeli soldiers in south Lebanon near the border where the troops are still operating, despite a ceasefire since April 17. Hezbollah said in a statement that after Israeli troops attempted to advance near the town of Deir Seryan — inside an Israeli-declared “yellow line” where Lebanese residents have been told not to return — its fighters “opened fire on the enemy force and engaged in heavy clashes with them.”
burs-ach/rmb
© 2024 AFP
