US fires on another vessel in Strait of Hormuz
Military: Merchant was trying to breach blockade of ports
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IRBIL -- The U.S. military said Friday that it fired on another merchant vessel that was trying to breach its blockade of Iran's ports, while the Islamic Republic targeted American strongholds around the Persian Gulf.
The U.S. and Iran showed no sign of backing away from their conflict after a 13th straight night of strikes. With fighting flaring again and diplomacy uncertain, both sides made moves suggesting an escalation was possible. U.S. embassies in the Middle East began alerting Americans in the region that options to leave could become more limited, while Iran's Revolutionary Guard advised residents of neighboring countries to stay away from bases with U.S. troops.
Saudi Arabia struck the port city of Hodeida in Yemen in response to Iranian-backed Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said early Saturday. The Houthis said they would escalate after tensions have been brewing for weeks, breaking a yearslong calm.
American forces disabled the M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman after the ship attempted to run the blockade at least four times, Capt. Tim Hawkins, U.S. Central Command spokesman, told The Associated Press. Hawkins stressed that the ship's crew was warned and didn't comply with commands. The military then fired into its engine room. It's the second commercial ship to be disabled since the military reimposed its blockade.
Earlier on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump met with top national security aides to discuss the situation with Iran and whether the administration should maintain the current course or escalate military attacks, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
It was not immediately clear if any decisions were made at the meeting, which was earlier reported by The New York Times. The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
In an event in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump described negotiations with Iran as "by far the most serious that we've seen," even as the U.S. has launched daily strikes. Trump added that he's "not in a hurry" to end the war.
Vowing that Iran "will not bow to U.S." bullying, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted ongoing discussions with two global powers often at odds with Americans -- China and Russia -- and warned in an interview with the semiofficial news outlet Tasnim that the Islamic Republic is "neither intimidated by threats nor will we yield to pressure."
At the center of the fight is the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passage for world energy supplies that has been effectively shut down by Iranian attacks, sending fuel prices soaring and causing widespread economic turmoil.
In the northern Iraqi city of Irbil, which is home to a contingent of American military advisers, security officials said Friday that U.S.-led forces had shot down five explosives-laden drones. Repeated blasts echoed in Irbil, the capital of Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region, and plumes of black smoke were seen near its airport, where U.S. forces are based. U.S. military officials did not respond to a request for comment on the apparent attacks.
Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted the U.S. base in Udairi, Kuwait, destroying three ammunition and storage sheds. It also claimed to have struck a watchtower for the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain.
U.S. Central Command did not respond to inquiries about the claims.
Both Bahrain and Jordan said they had intercepted aerial attacks by Iran on Friday.