▲ A file image showing a U.S. military attack on an Iranian oil tanker
As Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi rebels intensify clashes in the Red Sea, abandoning a four-year ceasefire, the Middle East stands at a crossroads of whether "two wars" will spread across the region.
In the Strait of Hormuz, the United States and Iran continue an endless vicious cycle without a diplomatic solution, trading retaliatory strikes targeting each other's frontline positions from sea to land.
According to major foreign media reports, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated in a statement on the 9th (local time) that it attacked a U.S. military base in Al-Azraq, Jordan, with ballistic missiles.
Reuters reported that Jordan also confirmed through state media that 20 ballistic missiles had flown from Iran into its territory.
Iran claimed that it also launched retaliatory strikes against two U.S. Navy ships in response to bombings targeting its vessels, including oil tankers.
In a separate statement, the IRGC announced that it had successfully struck U.S. destroyers DDG-119 and DDG-53—equipped with cruise missiles and the Aegis combat system, an advanced comprehensive maritime combat system—with missiles.
Iran also threatened to attack oil tankers near the coasts of Kuwait and Bahrain to hold them responsible for the U.S. attacks targeting Iranian tankers.
Additionally, the IRGC claimed that it seized an advanced U.S. unmanned underwater vehicle in the Strait of Hormuz on the 8th.
Regarding the submersible, the IRGC explained that "it is equipped with the latest underwater technology and was originally scheduled to be delivered to the U.S. terrorist military fleet in 2025."
Prior to this, the U.S. military stated that it had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in response to Iranian attacks.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military attacks against Iran, made clear in a press release on the 8th that the U.S. sinking of Iranian oil tankers was retaliation for "the IRGC's two ballistic missile attacks on U.S. Navy ships over the past two days."
According to Reuters, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, currently visiting Colombia, told reporters, "Iran continues to try to strike U.S. Navy ships, and every time they make such attempts, they will lose oil tankers."
Geopolitical uncertainties surrounding the Strait of Hormuz have further heightened as the U.S. military launched retaliatory strikes against Iranian attacks three days after the previous ones on the 5th.
Amidst this, pro-U.S. oil-producing powerhouse Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels engaged in a fierce battle bordering on all-out war over control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the gateway to the Red Sea.
On the 8th, Houthi rebels mobilized drones and missiles to strike four cities in southern Saudi Arabia: Khamis Mushait, Abha, Najran, and Jizan.
The targets included a Saudi air base and core refining and power facilities of state-run oil company Aramco.
This marks the largest-scale strike targeting the Saudi mainland since the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran in late February.
Saudi authorities announced that at least 73 people, including women and children, were injured in the attacks.
The Saudi-led coalition immediately launched retaliation.
Saudi fighter jets launched retaliatory airstrikes on Jubba, east of the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital of Sana, and the southwestern region of Taiz.
Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, declared, "We will respond decisively to deter terrorist militias."
Previously, Saudi Arabia had carried out massive airstrikes and missile strikes on rebel strongholds across Yemen over the past few days to thwart Houthi rebels attempting to seize control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The civil war between the Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition, which had shown a lull for years, took a turn for the worse following the Houthis' declaration ending the ceasefire last month, and is now heading toward an all-out war phase.
Amid concerns over the expansion of the war in the Middle East, international oil prices surged to levels nearing 100 dollars per barrel.
On the 8th at the London ICE Futures Exchange, Brent crude for November delivery soared to 99.46 dollars per barrel during trading, marking its highest level since July 24.
The closing price finished up 0.92 dollars (0.95%) from the previous session at 97.92 dollars per barrel.
At the New York Mercantile Exchange, the closing price for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil futures for October delivery stood at 93.03 dollars per barrel, up 1.55 dollars (1.69%) from the previous session.
(Photo: Video capture from U.S. Central Command website, Yonhap News)
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