Iran war highlights: US denies Iran's claim of attacks on 2 Navy destroyers, says all IRGC attempts 'failed'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to Israeli troops in southern Syria on Wednesday that Iran's Islamic republic was on the verge of collapse, as fighting in the six-month Middle East war intensifies.

"There is still work to be done -- the main task is to bring down the terror regime in Iran. We are very close to that," he said on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon on the Israel-Syria border during a visit with Defence Minister Israel Katz.

"We know that the entire axis will ultimately collapse," he added, referring to Iran's proxy groups in the Middle East.

---- AFP

Iran said on Wednesday it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the US sank five Iranian oil tankers, in the biggest declared wave of tit-for-tat attacks on shipping by both sides since the start of the six-month-old war.

The attacks sent the price of oil surging, with benchmark Brent crude futures breaching $100 a barrel for the first time since July. At least one seafarer aboard a tanker was reported killed and another listed as missing.

Iran also said it had fired ballistic missiles at a base used by US forces in Jordan. Attacks by both sides since the end of August have shattered a month of relative calm, with the US and Iran hitting military, shipping and energy assets.

The Revolutionary Guards said they would sharply escalate their response to any further attacks, hitting 20 targets if the enemy struck two or three. Iran would soon release maps of a new, enlarged off-limits zone at sea that would extend as far as Chabahar on the far reaches of Iran's coast near Pakistan, the Guards said.

— Reuters

A container ship arrived in Britain on Wednesday after a landmark voyage from China via the Arctic, as part of plans for more vessels to use the route as a shorter and potentially safer alternative to the Suez Canal.

The Dubai Tower arrived at Teesport off England's northeast coast after leaving eastern China on August 15.

The Arctic voyage, which is significantly quicker compared to freighters going through the Suez Canal or around the Cape of Good Hope, is intended to be the start of a regular container service to Europe via the so-called North Sea Route.

A South Korean container ship is also currently making a similar voyage, joining China and Russia in having shipping firms testing cargo services along the route, which is more feasible due to faster melting of Arctic sea ice.

The route offers shorter journeys and avoids security risks in the Middle East, as the U.S. war with Iran continues. But weather and sailing conditions can be unpredictable and its commercial feasibility is uncertain.

— Reuters

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its naval forces had “trapped one of the most modern, intelligent, unmanned submarines of the terrorist US army at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz”.

Iranian state media identified the vessel as a Dive-LD, an autonomous underwater vehicle developed by California-based defence company Anduril Industries.

The submersible is around six metres (20 feet) long and is designed to carry out extended missions, including surveillance, seabed mapping and mine detection. The US, however, said the vessel “malfunctioned a day ago”.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Tehran was maintaining its right to self-defence while remaining open to mediation through international bodies, including the United Nations Security Council, as per Al Jazeera.

The ministry indicated that the possibility of mediation remained open, but warned that Iran would continue targeting US interests as long as Washington keeps attacking Iranian vessels and oil tankers.

Soon after the ministry’s statement, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the maritime restricted zone could stretch from Chabahar on Iran’s southern coast into parts of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The exact coordinates of the area are expected to be announced later.

A seafarer died in an incident involving the oil products tanker Hercules Star while the vessel was anchored off Dubai, according to its charterer, Peninsula.

The circumstances surrounding the seafarer’s death have not yet been disclosed.

“In addition, ⁠one member of the crew is missing and a specialist ⁠team is working to locate ⁠them. All ⁠other crew members are accounted for.”

Brent crude prices surged past $100 a barrel on Wednesday, as escalating conflict in the Middle East fuelled worries about energy-driven inflation and sent global stocks tumbling ahead of several major central bank decisions.

Brent crude futures rose as much as 3% to a session high of $100.95, breaching the symbolic price level for the first time since July 24, after Iran said it fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan and both sides claimed to have attacked vessels, raising worries about oil supplies from the region. [O/R]

Stock markets across the globe came under pressure as the latest surge in energy prices drove concerns that higher inflation will prompt central banks to keep monetary policy tighter for longer.

U.S. stock index futures fell about half a percent, setting Wall Street indexes up for a third consecutive day of losses.

— Reuters

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday that a new “prohibited zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz would extend into parts of the Gulf of Oman and surrounding areas. The Guards said the precise coordinates of the restricted area would be announced later, as per AFP.

"It approximately starts from the direction of Chabahar, covering part of the Sea of Oman and another part of the Arabian Sea... If a vessel enters that area without coordination, it will be subject to our sanctions," Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi told state television.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has condemned US attacks on Iranian oil tankers and warned that such strikes could further escalate tensions.

“In response to the US’s aggressive actions against Iranian oil tankers, armed forces, in accordance with their inherent right of legitimate defence, attacked US military bases and facilities located in Jordan, which continues to support US military attacks against Iran, as well as several US vessels,” it said.

The US military has dismissed a claim by Iran's Revolutionary Guard that two US Navy destroyers operating in the Middle East had been attacked.

“No US Navy warship has been struck. All IRGC attempted attacks failed,” US Central Command said in a post.

It further claimed that US forces had destroyed 10 Iranian tankers over the past week. “Meanwhile, US forces have successfully destroyed 10 Iranian tankers in just the last week,” it said. “These vessels were part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC, and Iran cannot defend them.”

A cargo ship is listing while anchored off the United Arab Emirates, suggesting it has taken on water after being struck by a projectile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.

The vessel is located 24 nautical miles, or around 44 km, northwest of Port Rashid, it added.

UKMTO said the incident was reported by a third party. The UK maritime monitor had earlier said “several merchant vessels” were attacked with “disabling fire” overnight along Gulf sea routes.

- Several merchant vessels in the northern Gulf and Gulf of Oman were hit by disabling fire during military activity in the region overnight, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Wednesday.

The British navy-affiliated UKMTO said it was unable to confirm any casualties or environmental impact.

Separately, UKMTO reported another incident on Wednesday, 24 nautical miles from Port Rashid, in the United Arab Emirates. It said a vessel was sighted listing while at anchor, possibly indicating it had taken on water following an attack by an unknown projectile.

Yemeni government forces shelled positions held by the Iran-backed Houthis in Al-Kadhah, west of Taiz in southwestern Yemen, Al Arabiya reported on Wednesday.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis reported more than 30 Saudi strikes on several regions on Wednesday, a day after the rebels launched major attacks on their neighbour, injuring dozens of people.

"Saudi enemy aircraft launched 32 airstrikes on various areas across the governorates of Marib, Al-Jawf, Taiz and Hodeida over the past few hours," the rebels' Almasirah television said.

Saudi Civil Defence said an alert was issued through the national emergency warning system in Khamis Mushait. Residents were instructed to follow official guidance and seek shelter indoors.

The IRGC said Tuesday that its navy had targeted two US vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf in response to US attacks on five Iranian tankers.

In a statement carried by state media, the IRGC said 10 other ships attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz were also targeted.

All US troops in Jordan are accounted for following IRGC missile attacks, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing a US official.

Jordan’s military said its air defenses destroyed 18 of 20 ballistic missiles launched from Iran, while two fell in unpopulated areas without causing casualties. The IRGC said the missile attack on the Al-Azraq base in Jordan was carried out in retaliation for US strikes on Iranian oil tankers.

Oil prices have continued their upward trajectory for the fourth straight session, with Brent crude futures rising $1.57, or 1.6 percent, to reach $99.49 a barrel as of 00:01 GMT.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude went up $1.60, or 1.72 percent, to trade at $94.63 a barrel.

US forces destroyed five Iranian tankers carrying crude oil on Tuesday in response to two attempts to hit a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles in as many days, Central Command said.

The US military said Tuesday that the American ship, which it did not identify, wasn’t hit and is still patrolling regional waters. There were no US injuries, it said in a statement.

The destroyed Iranian ships belonged to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Central Command said US forces told the crews to abandon ship before the tankers were “rendered inoperable,” the statement said, adding that it had destroyed three other crude oil carriers on Saturday, following another failed attempt to attack a US aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer.