Donald Trump on Monday threatened Iran to pay a high price for each American soldier killed in the Middle East, his Iranian counterpart for his part evoking a “total war” against the United States.
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The American army announced that it had resumed its strikes on Iran for the tenth consecutive night, while the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels in Yemen raised the specter of a widening of the conflict with the announcement of a maritime blockade of their Saudi neighbor.
This measure would threaten the ability of the world’s largest crude oil exporter to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, at the heart of the war, and could cause an “even greater regional escalation”, worried the spokesperson for the UN Secretary General.
Strongly condemned by Riyadh, this announcement of a blockade of the Bab el-Mandab Strait raises fears of “a much greater shock” due to its simultaneity with that of Hormuz, warned Andreas Krieg, security expert at King’s College London.
Although the Houthis did not specify how they intended to implement this blockade, their announcement, as well as the resumption of hostilities, of an intensity not seen since the April ceasefire, caused oil prices to end higher on Monday.
Diplomatic efforts
For a week, the specter of American bombings on Iran has gone well beyond the regions to which they were confined, near the Gulf, after the resumption of hostilities on July 7, to particularly affect the center and the northwest, according to local officials.
Strikes were reported on Monday in Bushehr, where the only operating nuclear power plant is located.
In response to the American strikes, Tehran targeted its Gulf neighbors, including Kuwait and Bahrain, allies of Washington, but also Jordan.
The kingdom said Monday evening that it had shot down three new Iranian missiles targeting it after the activation of warning sirens.
“The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran faces a total war” led by the United States, President Massoud Pezeshkian said.
According to the latest official Iranian report, published Friday, at least 50 dead and more than 500 injured have been counted since the resumption of fighting.
On the American side, three soldiers were recently killed in Jordan and Iraq, the first since the new violence, bringing to 17 the total of American soldiers dead since the start of the war in February.
For each soldier killed, Iran will pay “many times over” the price, Donald Trump said Monday on Truth Social.
The resumption of hostilities between the two countries shattered the memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 and which was to lead to peace, after the outbreak of war by an Israeli-American offensive on February 28.
However, diplomatic efforts continue between Tehran and Washington via mediator countries, Iranian diplomatic spokesperson Esmaïl Baghaï said on Monday.
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni arrived on Monday for a two-day visit to Pakistan, one of the mediators with Qatar and Oman, Islamabad announced.
“Protect transportation”
At the heart of the dispute remains the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of world hydrocarbon trade passed before the war and whose memorandum of understanding provided for the reopening.
Since the resumption of hostilities, Iran has again blocked its passage, and the United States has reimposed its blockade of Iranian ports in retaliation.
“We must not allow this sea route to be diverted again from its primary use to threaten Iran’s security and national interests,” said the spokesperson for Iranian diplomacy on Monday.
Two oil tankers attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz in an “unauthorized” manner “exploded” and were arrested on Monday, after four ships were “immobilized” the day before, according to the Iranian Guardians.
According to the British maritime security agency UKMTO, two ships were also struck off the coast of Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
On Sunday evening, the American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, urged the international community to engage alongside the United States to “protect maritime transport” in Hormuz.
