US-Iran war news LIVE: Oil prices rise after US-Iran strikes | Today’s news
US-Iran war news LIVE: Oil prices rose on Monday (local time) after days of US-Iranian strikes in the Middle East, underscoring the fragility of the interim peace deal and again slowing energy shipments in the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude futures were up 52 cents, or 0.672%, at $72.51 a barrel by 2313 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $69.94 a barrel, up 71 cents, or 1.03%. Brent crude fell 10.6% last week, its third weekly decline, after crude supplies through the Strait of Hormuz rose to their highest level since the start of the US-Israel conflict with Iran in February.
Tehran warns ships not to bypass its Hormuz route
Iran’s top diplomat warned on Sunday (local time) that any attempt by commercial vessels to bypass the country’s preferred route through the Strait of Hormuz would “increase tensions” in the region as US and Iranian forces traded strikes again, AFP reported. Tehran was angered by Oman’s announcement this week of an alternative route through the Strait of Hormuz that hugged Oman’s coast, which Muscat said was in cooperation with the International Maritime Organization.
US, Iran back off on strikes as technical talks continue
A US official said on Sunday (local time) that Washington and Tehran would back down on the strikes and that merchant vessels would be allowed to move freely again as technical talks were to continue. The official said: “Technical talks are planned to continue on all areas of the MoU. Both sides will stand down for the time being and vessels can move freely.”
Abbas Araghchi says regional states should not allow attacks from their territories
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday (local time) that countries in the Middle East must not allow “their territories or facilities” to be used to attack Iran, Tehran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. Araghchi made the remarks during a meeting in Baghdad with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi, where he also discussed what the Islamic Republic described as diplomatic efforts to end the “US-Israeli imposed war” against Iran.
Israel destroys Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure in Lebanon
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement on Sunday (local time) saying the Israeli military destroyed underground infrastructure used by the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in a village in southern Lebanon. The statement added that Washington was informed before the attack took place, in which the military targeted a 200-meter (656-foot) long tunnel in the town of Majdal Zoun.
Iran Targets Bahrain and Kuwait After US Attacks; threatens to stop negotiations
Iran launched drone and missile attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday following fresh US airstrikes against the Islamic Republic and threatened a “complete halt” to negotiations with Washington if the attacks continued.
Efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian oversight have sparked days of crossfire. A multinational maritime body overseen by the US Navy said on Saturday it would expand a route near Oman for inbound and outbound traffic.
