MANAMA — US President Donald Trump called for other nations’ warships to help protect world oil supplies passing through the Strait of Hormuz, still virtually blocked Sunday by the threat of Iranian attacks.
Despite sustaining heavy bombardments since US-Israeli forces launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28, Tehran has defied Trump’s assertion that its military capability has been “100%” destroyed.
Iran’s attacks and threats have nearly halted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route normally used for one-fifth of world oil supplies, sending petroleum prices soaring 40 percent and roiling the global economy.
Its military has deployed drones and missiles against Israel, Gulf energy facilities, and other targets across the Middle East region.
AFP journalists heard blasts in Bahrain’s capital Manama, and saw black smoke belching from a major oil terminal in the United Arab Emirates port city of Fujairah. Security sources said the US Embassy in Iraq was struck by a drone.
“Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe,” Trump posted on social media Saturday.
“Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area,” he added.
“In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water.”
US forces struck Iran’s Kharg Island on Friday — from which nearly all of the country’s oil exports flow — with Trump saying they had “obliterated every MILITARY target” while sparing energy facilities.
Iran threatened US-linked oil and energy firms would be “turned into a pile of ashes” if its oil facilities were hit.
More than 1,200 people have been killed by US and Israeli strikes, according to Iranian health ministry figures that could not be independently verified.
The UN refugee agency says up to 3.2 million people have been displaced in Iran, most of them fleeing the capital and other cities to seek safety.
The Pentagon says more than 15,000 targets in Iran have been hit by US and Israeli forces.
US media reported that the Pentagon has dispatched the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and around 2,500 Marines to the region.
The United Nations earlier warned of significant risks to global trade and development, including prices of food and cost of living, if the Strait of Hormuz is closed.
“The resulting ripple effects go far beyond the region, affecting energy markets, maritime transport, and global supply chains,” the UN Conference on Trade and Development said in a report.
“Higher energy, fertilizer and transport costs — including freight rates, bunker fuel prices and insurance premiums — may increase food costs and intensify cost-of-living pressures, particularly for the most vulnerable,” it said.
‘Leave now’
Tehran has also shown a capacity to strike at Israel and across the region, firing missiles and dispatching drones in a string of attacks over the weekend.
AFP journalists heard blasts over Jerusalem after the military detected missiles launched from Iran, while the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia reported new missile or drone interceptions.
Clouds of black smoke rose over the UAE port of Fujairah, home to a major Emirati oil storage and export terminal, shortly after Iran’s military warned UAE civilians to avoid port areas.
Washington’s embassy in Iraq was hit by a drone, security sources told AFP — the second such strike during the war — while the Emirati consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan was targeted for the second time in a week.
US officials in Baghdad urged citizens to “leave now.” In Kuwait, a drone strike damaged the international airport’s radar system but caused no injuries, the civil aviation authority said.
Qatar evacuated parts of downtown Doha and intercepted two missiles. Blasts were heard by AFP journalists.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had launched missiles at US forces stationed at the Al-Kharj base in Saudi Arabia, a close US ally that hosts a large number of American troops.
The kingdom did not confirm the attack but said earlier it had intercepted six ballistic missiles headed toward Al-Kharj.
