A shipyard damaged in a US strike is seen in Iran’s Hormozgan province, where Iranian officials said the United States struck 95 sites in 12 cities over the past 10 days, on July 19, 2026.
Anadolu | Anadolu | getty images
The US launched a new round of strikes against Iran on Monday evening as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis threatened to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, potentially opening a new front in the Middle East conflict.
The latest round of tit-for-tat attacks has emerged reports Regional mediators have proposed a 10-day ceasefire to Washington and Tehran that could put last month’s accord back on track.
US Central Command Said Overnight, it launched another round of strikes on Iran at 9 pm ET on Monday.
“U.S. forces struck Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
It said the movement of commercial ships continues through the strategically important waterway. The statement said Centcom forces have facilitated the transit of approximately 900 commercial vessels and 450 million barrels of crude oil through the strait since the beginning of May.
Meanwhile, Iran attacked A tanker in the Strait of Hormuz forced its crew to abandon ship early Tuesday as it sought to tighten its control over the waterway, which normally handles about 20% of the world’s oil traffic.
Houthi militants in Yemen on Monday announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia effective immediately, a move that could significantly threaten oil supplies to the Middle East.
The Houthis have repeatedly threatened to close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait during the US-Iran war. The strait is a choke point for commercial ship traffic connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and global markets.
The militants said in a statement state newsAccused the Saudis of waging an “aggressive siege” against them. Tensions escalated last week when he claimed Riyadh had bombed Sanaa International Airport.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it would respond with force to the Houthis naval blockade. Allegedly Such threats have been described as “gross violations of international law”.
10-day ceasefire ‘will not be an easy task’
Oil prices briefly rose on news of the Houthi statement but later pared gains as energy market participants closely watched the possibility of a diplomatic breakthrough.
international benchmark crude oil Futures for September delivery were last seen trading 1.5% lower at $87.95 a barrel, having crossed $90 in the previous session. We West Texas Intermediate Meanwhile, futures for August delivery fell 1.2% to $82.25.
ING strategist Said There is some hope for tensions between the US and Iran to ease, given reports that mediators are proposing a 10-day ceasefire.
A sailor looks at the oil tanker Helga, moored at one of Iraq’s southern offshore oil terminals near Basra, as it prepares to load crude oil, becoming the second ship to come ashore following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on April 24, 2026.
Mohammed Ati reuters
“This will not be an easy task,” ING’s Warren Patterson and Eva Manthey said in a research note published Tuesday. “Major differences remain between the US and Iran. And President Trump said the US would retaliate after the deaths of several American soldiers,” he said.
one in Post On Truth Social on Monday, President Donald Trump said: “Every time Iran kills an American soldier they will have to pay for that killing many times over!” He said that this instruction has been given to every leader of the army.
Saudi Arabia’s oil risks
George Lyon, Rystad Energy’s senior vice president and head of geopolitical analysis, said the threat from the Houthis puts about 2.5 million barrels of Saudi Arabia’s oil per day at risk when traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is halted.
“With the Gulf’s primary maritime outlet largely closed, the market has become increasingly dependent on Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline and Red Sea terminals to maintain export flows,” Lyons said in a research note on Monday.
Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline Network, or Petroline, is a system of approximately 750 miles. Transports crude oil to Saudi Arabia, connecting Abqaiq on the oil-rich kingdom’s eastern Gulf coast to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea.
“Any disruption at Bab al-Mandeb would threaten not only Saudi shipments, but also one of the few remaining routes capable of compensating for the severe reduction in Hormuz traffic,” Lyons said.
“If the ceasefire does not succeed and Hormuz remains largely closed while the Houthi threat to Red Sea shipping increases, the risk of a significant surge in oil prices would be considerable,” he said.
– CNBC chloe taylor And spencer kimball Both contributed to this report.