Middle East war live: Iranian strike wounds US troops at air base in Saudi Arabia
Israel says missile fired from Yemen after Houthis warn other countries ‘fingers are on the trigger’
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Main developments
Drone and missile attacks continued across the region on Saturday after 12 US troops were wounded in an Iranian strike on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on Friday night, one of the most significant attacks on American forces of the conflict.
Iran claimed one US refuelling aircraft was destroyed and three others were damaged in the attack.
Israel’s military attacked two Iranian nuclear facilities, which Iran’s foreign minister said were for civilian nuclear energy. Tehran is exploring a possible exit from international commitments designed to limit its nuclear programme.
Iran also said Israel also hit steel factories and a power plant, raising concerns that US Donald Trump’s 10-day reprieve in strikes against infrastructure was breaking down.
Brent crude settled 4.2 per cent higher at $112.57 a barrel on Friday, its highest closing price since July 2022. US stocks fell further, taking the S&P 500 to a 7.4 per cent loss since the war began.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio told G7 partners that the war against Iran will last another two to four weeks.
Yemen’s Houthi rebel group warned its “fingers are on the trigger” should other countries join the US and Israel in the war.
Oil exports continue to flow at Kharg Island, Iran insists
Iran’s oil exports from Kharg Island, the country’s main crude export terminal, are continuing uninterrupted, according to Iranian lawmakers who visited the site.
A spokesperson for parliament’s national security committee said on Saturday that operations were proceeding as normal.
“Thank God life goes on. Oil exports continue without any problems and we did not notice any particular disruption,” the spokesperson said in a video message from the island.
Kharg Island handles the vast majority of Iran’s crude shipments, making it a critical node in the country’s energy infrastructure. Analysts had speculated that the US could might seize the island to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
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