Live Updates: Iran targets U.S. bases in Jordan and Iraq as raging war depletes U.S. interceptor stockpiles - CBS News
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated as Iran-backed forces disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. Simultaneously, the conflict has intersected with the war in Ukraine, with reports of Ukrainian strikes on ships carrying Iranian arms.
Why it matters
The convergence of regional conflicts and the disruption of critical maritime trade routes pose significant risks to global energy supplies and international security.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday their forces stopped four ships attempting to transit the strategic Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours.
"Four vessels that had intended to transit through the southern area of the Strait of Hormuz via an illegal and unsafe route were stopped over the past 24 hours after warning shots were fired by the IRGC Navy," the Guards said in a statement quoted by state television, adding that the ships had "altered course."
Iran has in recent weeks hit tankers using a route hugging the Omani coast, sanctioned by the U.S., to traverse the strait, in a bid to strong-arm vessels into using its own waters and pay for safe passage.
The Houthis, an Iran-backed paramilitary group in Yemen, announced strikes on Saudi oil company Aramco's facilities in Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday.
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