Iran is escalating threats against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, while its Houthi allies in Yemen are stepping up attacks on Saudi Arabia and exchanging threats with President Donald Trump, raising the risk that the widening Middle East war could be poised to expand to additional fronts. Trump said Tuesday he would make a decision on Iran “very soon,” as the administration faces mounting threats to energy shipments, attacks on Saudi infrastructure and allegations of Iranian efforts to target military sites in Britain. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Iran appears to be targeting commercial vessels conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers in and around Hormuz, potentially undermining efforts to keep oil moving through the strategic waterway.
The Institute for the Study of War, which provided the assessment, also warned Iran may be developing its anti-ship missile capabilities. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported that at least three vessels were attacked by unidentified projectiles in the strait Sunday, although no group immediately claimed responsibility. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s top security body, told Iranian state television Saturday that Iranian forces were striking an average of five “smuggling ships” every night, according to the AP.
