US President Donald Trump has threatened to blow Iran 'off the face of the earth' if it attacks American vessels, as tensions escalate over the Strait of Hormuz. The warning came after the US military said it sank six Iranian boats targeting civilian ships during an operation to reopen the strategic waterway.
Two American-flagged merchant ships successfully transited the strait on Monday as part of 'Project Freedom', the military confirmed. Iran's central command had earlier warned it would strike any US naval vessel approaching the strait and claimed to have hit a US frigate with missiles, a claim denied by US Central Command.
The US-allied United Arab Emirates came under repeated Iranian attacks for the first time since a ceasefire in early April, including a fire at a key oil facility in Fujairah that wounded three Indian nationals. In Oman, two people were injured by an attack on a residential building in Bukha along the strait's coastline.
Japan took delivery of its first oil from Russia since the strait's closure choked global supplies, with a tanker carrying crude from the Sakhalin-2 project reaching Imabari. The project is not subject to sanctions against Moscow over Ukraine. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the supply squeeze had an 'enormous impact' on the Asia-Pacific region.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for de-escalation, urging Iran to engage meaningfully in negotiations. The IMF warned the global economy could face a 'much worse outcome' if the war drags into 2027 and oil prices hit $125 a barrel. Stock markets fell on Tuesday amid the fresh spike in tensions.
