The Houthi attack threatened to open a new front in a war, sending prices for fuel and other goods surging across the world, with the standoff in the Gulf deepening as the United States and Iran vie for control of vital Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command said its strikes were designed to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters,” as the Americans push to regain control over the Strait of Hormuz and restore the flow of international shipping.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that the U.S. would destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the strait.
Both sides have increasingly threatened civilian infrastructure. International law generally prohibits such attacks unless the infrastructure is being used for military purposes.
Diplomatic efforts show no signs of progress
A day after saying the U.S. was still open to diplomacy, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a darker tone Thursday.
“The price will continue to get higher every single night until they come to their senses,” Rubio told reporters while traveling in the Philippines for a regional summit. He insisted Iran is “begging” for a deal but that Trump “doesn’t see a lot of utility in responding to their overtures at this point, because, frankly, Iran is clearly not ready to make a deal, at least not when they’re willing to live by.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said Tehran would adopt an “eye for an eye” defense doctrine.
“The president’s policy is a head for an eye,” Rubio said. “They will pay a very heavy price for the things they’re doing.”
