Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Friday that three tankers, including one carrying more than two million barrels of oil, exploded and caught fire while passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels near Mecca, Islam’s holiest city. The Houthis have denied targeting Mecca.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Friday. Read our full coverage here.
Iran says supertanker collided with mine and caught fire in Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Friday that a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil hit a naval mine, exploded and caught fire while taking an unauthorized route through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported. The Guard said it was the third tanker to explode Friday after attempting to take unauthorized routes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly warned ships against passing through the strait without permission from Tehran. It has claimed responsibility for attacks on ships and said last month that ships attempting to cross the strait without permission would face “destruction”. Tehran has claimed control of much of the waterway from the United States and Israel. launched the war on February 28.
Earlier on Friday, the Navy Guard said two other tankers caught fire after hitting mines in the strait, Iranian state television reported. He said the ships turned off their navigation and positioning systems and ignored repeated radio warnings. Iran’s report did not identify the ships or provide details about the crews. The AP could not verify these claims.
Meanwhile, Oman said it had evacuated 25 crew members from a Panama-flagged oil tanker that was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, 1.6 nautical miles off the coast of Musandam governorate, and caught fire. It is unclear whether this incident is linked to the fires described by Iran.
Saudi Arabia says drone launched by Houthis intercepted near Mecca
The Saudi-led coalition said Friday it had intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the region surrounding Mecca, Islam’s holiest city and destination for millions of Muslim pilgrims each year.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied carrying out operations targeting Mecca, saying the group’s military operations targeted Saudi oil installations and military bases. The competing claims have both been made before.
Meanwhile, the United Nations said the number of displaced people in Yemen has surpassed 281,000, as fighting continues unabated in parts of the country between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces. He adds that “the crisis is spreading instead of stabilizing”.
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday for talks with Iranian officials.
Iranian state media said Friday that Qatari mediators had returned to Iran for talks with officials, in the latest diplomatic move to try to end the war with the United States and Israel. The official IRNA news agency said the Qatari delegation was led by the country’s foreign minister and senior adviser to the prime minister. He said they were meeting with senior Iranian officials, but did not specify who.
This visit follows an outreach effort by US Vice President JD Vance, who sent a letter in recent days to Major General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Tehran acknowledged receipt of the letter on Thursday but said it had not responded and did not detail its contents. US President Donald Trump suggested that the letter was not about peace negotiations but rather the possibility of authorizing humanitarian aid.
Diplomats say American officials have called on Middle Eastern countries and their regional allies to prepare for possible further military action against Iran following next week’s attack. midterm elections in the United States.
Israeli forces demolished two houses of Palestinian gunmen who attacked soldiers
Israeli forces on Friday demolished two houses in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron belonging to Palestinian gunmen who carried out an attack last week that killed two Israeli soldiers and injured three others. Israel launched a massive military operation after last week’s attack, killing the two gunmen, and ordered residents to evacuate the gunmen’s neighborhood and closed roads in and out of Hebron.
The U.N. humanitarian office said earlier this week that more than 3,000 people had been displaced by Israeli forces, with closures disrupting businesses and travel across the city.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned earlier this week that the operation raised serious concerns about unnecessary and disproportionate use of force. He said statements from senior Israeli officials indicated the measures were punitive and designed to sow fear, and called for displaced residents to be allowed to return home. “Collective punishments constitute a serious violation of international law,” he said.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
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