Iran war live: Houthis strike Saudi oil tankers

Key Points

• Houthis claim attack on two Saudi oil tankers
• Oil prices climb above $95 amid escalating US-Iran tensions
• Trump warns Iran of retaliation if ships are targeted in Strait of Hormuz
• Chinese supertankers carrying Saudi oil head for Red Sea exit despite Houthi threats
• US military says 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran complete

US uses B-1 long-range bomber for first time since fighting against Iran resumed

The US has escalated its military campaign against Iran by using a B-1 long-range bomber for the first time since fighting resumed 12 days ago, according to US officials.

The bomber was used to strike IRGC targets in Iran, Axios reported. B-1 aircraft can carry large numbers of heavy bombs and cruise missiles.

US Centcom said its strikes targeted Iranian military operations centres, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities and logistics infrastructure to weaken Tehran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

However, it remains unclear what specific targets the B-1 hit.

Regional mediators push for new 10-day ceasefire between US and Iran

Qatar, Pakistan and Egypt have proposed a 10-day ceasefire between the US and Iran in an effort to prevent the conflict from spreading into a wider regional war, Axios reported.

The proposal comes after continuous US strikes on Iran and continued Iranian attacks targeting Gulf states, including Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.

Iran has vowed an “eye for an eye” response after US president Donald Trump threatened strikes on Iranian infrastructure for attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran war: Key developments today

• US strikes Iran for the 12th consecutive night.
• Iran says at least two people were killed and 11 wounded in the US strike on the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iraq.
• The IRGC said it hit US military facilities in Kuwait, including drone and air defence sites.
• Tehran said it stopped three oil tankers from crossing the Strait of Hormuz, with one vessel catching fire. The IRGC said the waterway was “completely closed”.
• Yemen’s Houthis claimed attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia confirmed the Encelia was hit but said all crew were safe.
• The US president warned Washington would destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant for every attack on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned of an “eye for an eye” response to any attack on Iranian infrastructure.
• Oil prices climbed to around $95 a barrel amid fears of wider disruption to global energy supplies.

US carries out 12th straight night of strikes as Iran-backed Houthi rebels bomb two Saudi oil tankers

Iranian state media report two dead in latest US strikes

Iranian state media reported that two people were killed in US strikes in southern Iran, near the country’s border with Iraq.

The deaths were reported as part of the latest wave of American attacks, which the US military said targeted “maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and air defence assets”.

Centcom said in a statement on X: “The strikes further degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels.”

According to Al Jazeera, explosions were reported in cities including Bushehr, Ahvaz, Sirik and Shalamcheh.

Centcom earlier today posted on X, saying it completed the 12th night of strikes on Iran.

WATCH: Hegseth says Trump should be praised for Iran conflict

Araghchi describes moment of US-Israeli strike that killed Ali Khamenei

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has described surviving a US-Israeli strike that killed Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war, saying he was pulled from rubble after a leadership compound was hit.

In an interview with Iranian journalist Javad Mogouyi, Araghchi said the US and Israel had accurate intelligence on the location of Iran’s top officials.

“What matters, in my view, is the fact that Israel had intelligence about these meetings,” Araghchi said, adding: “This may point to a security gap that probably still exists. This needs to be fixed.”

He said he has since been constantly moving around Tehran for security reasons.

Describing the strike, he said: “We were on the other side of the building, and after the explosion, the ceiling, walls, and everything collapsed on us. I grabbed Mr Hijazi’s hand (Khamenei’s deputy chief of staff, Ali Asghar Hijazi), and we made our way through the beams and boards and pieces of wood, hearing the cries for help.”

He continued: “Water was pouring from the ceiling. Everything was wrecked. We eventually got out, and I saw that various parts of the compound had been targeted.”

House passes defense bill with Trump’s $1T spending request and Department of War rename

The US House of Representatives has approved a defense policy bill that includes President Donald Trump's request for a substantial $1.15 trillion in national security spending and proposes renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War.

The legislation, which also mandates a 5 percent to 7 percent pay increase for service members next year based on rank, marks a significant departure from the typically bipartisan nature of the annual National Defense Authorization Act.

The vote, a narrow 216-212, underscored deep divisions, with Democrats voicing strong opposition. Their concerns centered on the considerable spending hike for the Pentagon, particularly as Republicans simultaneously sought to cut numerous non-defense programs through other legislative efforts.

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House passes defense bill with Trump’s $1T spending request and Pentagon rename

Trump warns Iran of retaliation if ships are targeted in Strait of Hormuz

US president Donald Trump warned Iran that the US would target Iranian infrastructure if Tehran continued attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that for every ship hit by Iranian missiles, drones or other weapons, the US would destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant, including facilities near Tehran.

He wrote: “From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran.”

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi responded by warning of an “eye for an eye” retaliation, saying any attack on Iranian infrastructure would trigger a “powerful and decisive” response.

Chinese supertankers carrying Saudi oil head for Red Sea exit despite Houthi threats

Two Chinese supertankers carrying a combined 4 million barrels of Saudi crude were heading towards the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Thursday, despite escalating security risks in the Red Sea.

Shipping data showed the vessels were continuing their journeys even after at least one Saudi-owned ship was attacked in the region and Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed strikes on two Saudi oil tankers.

Their transit is expected to test the Houthis’ recently announced maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia.

According to LSEG shipping data cited by Reuters, the Singaporean-flagged Xin Long Yang, which had briefly halted in the Red Sea earlier this week, resumed sailing towards China’s Qinzhou port, while the Chinese-flagged Cosnew Lake continued towards Huizhou in Guangdong province.

Both ships indicated they had Chinese crews on board through their automatic identification system data.

WATCH: Trump claims Americans are not against the Iran war despite all polling showing they are

Oil prices climb above $95 amid escalating US-Iran tensions

Oil prices rose above $95 a barrel for the first time in six weeks as the escalating US-Iran conflict fuelled concerns over disruptions to global energy supplies.

The increase was driven by renewed tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and Houthi threats to target vessels carrying Saudi oil through the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

The rise came after the 11th consecutive night of US strikes on Iran, with Donald Trump warning military action would intensify.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs said oil prices could climb to $120 a barrel by the end of the year if exports through Hormuz remain disrupted, according to the Guardian.

US military says 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran complete

The US military said it had carried out a 12th straight night of strikes against Iran.

In a statement posted on X, US Central Command (Centcom) said American forces targeted Iranian military infrastructure, including maritime assets, missile and drone storage sites, coastal surveillance facilities and air defence systems.

Centcom said the latest attacks were aimed at further weakening Iran's ability to target civilian mariners and commercial shipping.

Saudi state media confirms attack on Red Sea vessel

Saudi state media has confirmed that a Saudi-owned vessel came under attack while sailing in the Red Sea.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), which cited an official from the General Transport Authority, the incident caused a fire at the front of the ship.

The official said all crew members aboard the Encelia were safe and that authorities had taken steps to secure the vessel, protect those on board and prevent environmental damage.

The statement followed claims by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group that it had launched missile and drone attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea on Wednesday.

The Houthis identified one of the ships as the Encelia, saying the strikes were part of what they described as a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia linked to the US-Iran conflict.

House Democrat criticizes newly adopted Iran war funding proposal: 'Focus on investment here at home'

US Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, has criticized a budget proposal adopted by the Republican-led House Wednesday, which includes funding for the Iran war.

“This money could fund free public college and free childcare for every American while expanding health care coverage for seniors”, Khanna wrote on X. “It’s time to end the war and focus on investment here at home”.

The $95 billion package, which was adopted in a 216-214 vote, includes $60 billion for the Pentagon and $13 billion for other national security issues, $12 billion in aid for farmers and $10 billion to help implement changes in voting laws, according to the Associated Press.

Trump oddly boasts about how many Americans have been killed in his Iran war compared to Vietnam

Donald Trump has framed the American death toll in the Iran war as relatively low compared to past conflicts, drawing criticism from across the political spectrum.

Trump recently posted a graphic on his Truth Social platform that outlined the duration and casualties of wars initiated under previous presidents.

“Vietnam War: 19 years, 58,220 DEAD. Korean War: 3 years, 36,574 DEAD. Iraq War: 9 years, 4,600 DEAD. Afghanistan War: 20 years, 2,000 DEAD”, it stated.

The current war was labeled simply as the “Iran Military Conflict,” accompanied by the line “18 DEAD”.

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Trump boasts about how many Americans have been killed in Iran compared to Vietnam

Maritime traffic in Strait of Hormuz remains diminished

Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has remained diminished as the Iran war drags on.

Just 14 ships have transited the vital oil waterway in the Middle East in the past 24 hours, according to the Hormuz Strait Monitor.

Trump claims without proof that soldiers killed in Iran war shared his view that Tehran can’t have a nuclear weapon

Donald Trump has claimed that US service members killed in the Iran war had shared his view that Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.

The US president made the remarks Wednesday — seemingly without proof — before heading to Dover Air Force Base to attend the dignified transfer of four soldiers who died in the Middle East conflict over the past week.

“We’re going to Dover…to honor our heroes, and they are indeed great heroes, actually”, Trump told reporters while standing in front of Marine One.

“They said, and all of them said very strongly, ‘We can’t let, we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. They won’t have a nuclear weapon’”, the president continued. “So, we’re going to honor them, and one of the hardest things to do — for me, it’s one of the hardest things to do as a president — but has to be done”.

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Trump claims without proof fallen soldiers were against Iran having nuclear weapon

WATCH: Trump pays tribute to fallen US soldier as family attends his event

Trump's unpopular Iran war receives another negative review from Americans

Donald Trump's unpopular Iran war has received another negative review from Americans.

In a new Fox News poll, 66 percent of Americans said they disapprove of the way the US president is handling the war, while just 34 percent said they approve.

WATCH: Trump says Iran will be ready to make a deal 'very soon'

House adopts package to fund Iran war and other Trump priorities

The US House of Representatives has adopted a $95 billion package to fund the Iran war and other priorities of President Donald Trump.

In a 216-214 vote, the Republican-led House approved $60 billion for the Pentagon and $13 billion for other national security issues, $12 billion in aid for farmers and $10 billion to help implement changes in voting laws, according to the Associated Press.