Yemen鈥檚 Iran-backed said early Thursday they had attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, and the U.S. military said it conducted a 12th night of strikes against Iran as the two countries vie for control of vital shipping lanes.
The Houthi attack in the Red Sea threatened to open a new front in a war that has roiled the global economy, sending prices for fuel and other goods surging across the world. With the standoff in the Gulf deepening, there were no signs of progress in diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
U.S. Central Command said its strikes were designed to 鈥渇urther degrade Iran鈥檚 ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters,鈥� as the Americans push to regain control over the Strait of Hormuz and restore the flow of international shipping.
President Donald Trump that the U.S. would destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the . Both sides have increasingly threatened civilian infrastructure.
International law generally prohibits such attacks .
鈥淔rom 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,鈥� Trump wrote on social media.
Iran-backed Houthis say they attacked oil tankers
The Houthis said they had struck two tankers named Encelia and Layla in the Red Sea, leading to fires on both vessels. That would be their first reported attack on a vessel since they of Saudi-linked shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait earlier this week in retaliation for the kingdom鈥檚 blockade on Yemen and a on the international airport in Yemen鈥檚 rebel-held capital, Sanaa.
, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a vital shipping chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Around 12% of the world鈥檚 trade, including a fourth of global container traffic, passes through the narrows, moving between Europe and Asia via Egypt鈥檚 Suez Canal.
Saudi state media reported that the Encelia was set ablaze by an attack while sailing overnight in the Red Sea, citing an unidentified source from the General Authority of Transport. The Saudi Press Agency reported that a strike caused a fire at the bow of the ship, but no casualties. It did not mention the Layla.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center, UKMTO, said it had received a report of a tanker being struck by 鈥渁n unknown projectile鈥� 70 nautical miles (80 miles, 130 kilometers) southwest of Al Shuqaiq, Saudi Arabia, in the Red Sea. It said no casualties had been reported.
Both sides dig in over Strait of Hormuz dispute
The continued American airstrikes are occurring as both sides have dug in on over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global energy that remains largely closed. The closure of the strait, through which a fifth of the world鈥檚 traded oil and gas passed during peacetime, has with effects far beyond the Middle East.
Iran says it has the right to manage traffic and potentially charge fees in the strait, which was open to all and toll-free before the war. It has attacked ships using a route through the strait that is overseen by U.S. forces and intended to be outside Tehran鈥檚 control.
In response to Iran鈥檚 attacks, the U.S. re-imposed a blockade on Iranian ports and began the widening campaign of strikes across the country. On Tuesday, Trump signaled that U.S. forces could soon target buried deep under a mountain.
Iran鈥檚 parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who has led negotiations with the U.S., appeared to brush off Trump鈥檚 threats.
鈥淲e have repeatedly said that the situation of the strait will not return to prewar conditions,鈥� he wrote on social media.
The costs of war are mounting
Trump traveled to Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday for the arrival of the remains of four U.S. service members. A day earlier Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth estimated in a fiery Senate hearing that the U.S. had spent $37.5 billion on the war so far.
In Iran, state media reported that U.S. missiles struck locations overnight near the cities of Ahvaz, Ramshir and Andimeshk in western Iran, and two people were killed in a U.S. missile strike in the town of Shalamcheh on the Iraqi border.
Iran has responded to U.S. attacks by targeting energy infrastructure and that provide drinking water in parched neighboring Gulf countries.
Military officials in Kuwait said on social media that their air defenses were 鈥渃onfronting attacks by hostile drones, following the sinful Iranian aggression.鈥�
Iran鈥檚 Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would adopt an 鈥渆ye for an eye鈥� defense doctrine.
鈥淎ny aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response,鈥� he posted Wednesday on X.
Diplomatic efforts show no signs of progress
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni held meetings in recent days in Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, seeking to revive diplomacy. But it was unclear what new arrangement might be reached to end the war, which lately has become a battle for control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran鈥檚 Interior Ministry spokesperson Ali Zeinivand said 鈥渄iplomacy isn鈥檛 called off鈥� and that messages were still being exchanged, without elaborating, according to IRNA.
An Arab diplomat said Gulf states are increasingly pessimistic about finding an off-ramp for escalating hostilities and are particularly concerned about the latest round of threats.
The diplomat said countries in the region, in addition to Pakistan and Turkey, are continuing to push for de-escalation but that chances for improvement currently appear bleak. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
At a in the Philippines, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. remains open to negotiations with Iran, 鈥渂ut right now they don鈥檛 seem to be serious about that鈥� so instead the focus is on protecting shipping.
___
Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Michelle L. Price and Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; and Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
