Iran-Trump war latest: Oil prices soar again after two Iraqi tankers struck in suspected Iranian attacknewsline24

Former US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has gone on a rant against U.S. military intervention in Iran.

Greene, who used to be a fervent supporter of US President Donald Trump before the two had a public falling out, complained about the death toll in the Iran war and shared concerns over oil prices.

A container ship has been hit by an unknown projectile near the UAE port of Jebel Ali, the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre has said today.

The strike caused “a small fire onboard” and a full damage assessment was impaired by darkness. “All crew are reported as safe” and “no environmental impact has been reported at this time,” the agency said.

Three crew members are believed to be trapped aboard a Thai bulk carrier after it was hit by two projectiles while travelling through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, the vessel’s owner said, according to AFP news agency.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for the attack on the Thai vessel. Two other cargo ships, one from the Marshall Islands and one from Japan, were also reportedly struck in the same area.

Oman has shifted all vessels out of its main oil export terminal at Mina Al Fahal, outside the Strait of Hormuz, as a precautionary measure, Bloomberg News reported, citing recipients of a port agent’s notice.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright was pressed Wednesday by Fox News host Laura Ingraham on the next step for American forces in the Iran war after three ships around the Strait of Hormuz were hit.

Three cargo ships — one from Thailand, one from the Marshall Islands and one from Japan— were reportedly struck earlier Wednesday around the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for the attack on the ship from Thailand.

“So, Mr. Secretary, three ships near the strait were hit by projectiles over the past 24 hours. What now”? Ingraham asked Wright.

Wright started going on a tangent about Iran being a “murderous, terrorist regime” before the Fox News host interrupted and said, “If you have crews on these ships that are afraid for their lives, how do you break this logjam in this critical waterway”?

“The most critical thing right now is US military degrading their ability to project power,” Wright replied. “Not just missiles for long range but also their assets that impede travel through the Strait of Hormuz.

“So it will take us some time to do that, but there is an awesome power of the U.S. Military; soldiers are doing a great job. And we are every hour of every day degrading their military ability to threaten the ships in the Strait of Hormuz”.

In a since-deleted social media post Tuesday, Wright falsely claimed the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz.

Read more on how that one post sent US oil markets into a frenzy:

Stock markets across Asia fell sharply on opening today as oil prices surged past $100 a barrel amid escalating attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 1.6 per cent, while Japan’s Nikkei dropped 1.5 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.2 per cent and Chinese blue-chips slid 0.6 per cent. Australia’s ASX 200 fell 1.65 per cent. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures both declined 1 per cent, pointing to a weak open in the US.

In currency markets, nervous investors sought the safety of the dollar while shunning currencies of net energy importers. The euro slipped 0.3 per cent to $1.1536, its weakest level since November. The dollar rose to 159.12 yen, its strongest since January.

Oil prices have surged 9 per cent today, reaching above $100 a barrel once again following strikes on tankers in Iraq.

Multiple fuel tankers were struck by explosive-laden Iranian boats in Iraqi waters early this morning, with an Iraqi official telling state media that its oil ports “have completely stopped operations.”

Brent crude futures hit $100.22 a barrel, extending a rise of more than 4 per cent overnight. US crude futures were at $95.41 a barrel.

This comes after oil prices rose above $115 on Monday, and then fell below $90 on Tuesday after Donald Trump said the conflict could end soon.

Investors took little comfort from the IEA’s plan to release 400 million barrels from reserves – the largest such move in its history – as part of which the US said it would release 172 million barrels from next week. Iran had earlier warned the world to prepare for oil at $200 a barrel.

“The geopolitical risk premium in oil has produced extraordinary volatility, with prices swinging dramatically as traders react to every headline around the Iran conflict,” said Lukman Otunuga, senior market analyst at FXTM.

Rising energy costs have been stoking inflation fears globally, with several countries ordering rationing of fuels.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has laid out objectives for the Iran war after the US gave conflicting answers as to why it was attacking the Middle Eastern country.

“The left-wing media is lying and pushing a fake narrative that there has been ‘mixed messaging’ about the objectives of Operation Epic Fury.

“From the beginning, President Trump and his entire team have consistently laid out clear objectives to the American people about what the U.S. Military seeks to accomplish through these ongoing successful major combat operations”, Leavitt wrote on X early Thursday morning.

Here are the objectives Leavitt laid out:

• Destroy the terrorist Iranian regime’s missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground.
• Annihilate the terrorist Iranian regime’s navy.
• Ensure the regime’s fellow terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region and attack our forces
• Guarantee the terrorist Iranian regime cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.


The Independent’s John Bowden explains the Trump administration’s differing messaging early on in the Iran war:

President Donald Trump said early Thursday morning the US has “our eye on” on Iranian sleeper cells.

Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Trump, “Have you been briefed about how many Iran sleeper cells there could be inside the U.S. right now”?

“I have been, and a lot of people came through [Former US President Joe] Biden with his stupid open border. But we know where most of them are. We’ve got our eye on all of them, I think”, Trump responded.

According to a recent Quinnipiac University poll, 77 percent of American voters think it is either very likely or somewhat likely that there will be a terrorist attack in the US because of the military action in Iran.