Tankers burn and sit idle near Hormuz as Trump is briefed on military options against Iran
Iran says it has held three tankers, Oman rescues a crew and in Aden the Houthis fire missiles at the presidential palace.
The Strait of Hormuz saw fresh turmoil on Friday. Iran's Revolutionary Guards say they halted three tankers after what they called incidents, La Libre reports, citing AFP. Two ships allegedly took an unauthorised route, while a third carrying two million barrels of oil reportedly struck a naval mine. De Morgen carried the news of the three detained tankers in its live blog. According to La Libre, Oman's navy evacuated 25 crew members from the RITI, a Panama-flagged vessel that caught fire after an attack off the Omani coast.
It was not the first day of such reports. On Thursday the Guards had already said ships hit mines while trying to sail along the coast of Oman without Iranian permission, RTBF writes. Washington is blockading Iranian ports and escorting tankers along that route; US Central Command says the main shipping lanes are clear of Iranian mines. Before the war, which began in late February with Israeli and US strikes on Iran, roughly a fifth of the world's oil and gas flows passed through the strait.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is weighing whether to resume large-scale military action against Iran. According to The Wall Street Journal, cited by Business AM, President Donald Trump was briefed on several options at the White House on Thursday by Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Central Command. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs chairman Dan Caine also attended. The US has strengthened its air defences in the region and moved troops away from bases considered vulnerable. On the diplomatic front, Trump said Vice President JD Vance had been in contact with Iran about medical supplies; Tehran has not yet responded, according to the Tasnim news agency, Business AM writes.
Violence also flared elsewhere in the region. The Houthis fired two missiles at the presidential palace in the Yemeni port city of Aden, VRT NWS and HLN report. The rebels also claim to have attacked Saudi energy facilities, including Abqaiq and the Rabigh and Ras Tanura refineries; Saudi-led forces say they intercepted a Houthi cruise missile, according to Business AM.