Ninth night of the US-Iran war: third US soldier dead, tanker ablaze in Hormuz
Hormuz-Iran CrisisMiddle EastOil Market
For the ninth night running, US forces struck targets in Iran; in northern Iraq another US soldier was killed while detonating an Iranian drone. Tehran reported attacks on US bases in Kuwait and an aerial target in Jordan, while in the Strait of Hormuz a ship was once again on fire. The oil price rose above 90 dollars.+ more perspectives
For the ninth night in a row the US military said it carried out strikes against command centers and communications networks in Iran; President Trump declared the attacks were carried out 'in honor of' fallen soldiers. Confirmed is the death of another US soldier while detonating an Iranian drone in northern Iraq, bringing the number of recent US dead to three (Al Jazeera counts 17 since the start of the war). Western outlets such as the Guardian and the New York Times stress that a preliminary peace plan foundered over the dispute about the Strait of Hormuz and that, according to Energy Secretary Wright, the US mission has shifted primarily to securing oil flows; critics speak of a 'war of choice.' Iranian and state-aligned sources such as Global Times and Serbia's Politika report explosions in several cities and accuse the US of hitting civilian facilities and the Darkhovin nuclear power plant. Tehran reported missile attacks on the Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait and on US aircraft at Jordan's Aqaba airport; according to B92, Iran is even weighing a ground push against US bases in Kuwait. In the Strait of Hormuz another tanker was ablaze, yet Washington insists that around two-thirds of shipping traffic continues to run. The US is deploying additional fighter jets to the region, and diplomats warn, according to Haaretz, of a slide into an all-out regional war.