Seoul weighs 'contributions' to Hormuz security: president's office
South Korea said that Seoul could contribute to the US security efforts in the Strait of Hormuz as long as its own military readiness is not compromised, AFP reports.
“Contributions to the Strait of Hormuz could be managed within limits that do not compromise military readiness,” a presidential official said, adding a review is still under way
Oil set for steepest weekly gain since mid-July over intensifying US-Iran tensions
Oil prices rise and are on track for the steepest weekly gain since mid-July as rising tensions and renewed US-Iran hostilities heightened concerns over Middle East supply risks, according to Reuters.
Brent crude futures LCOc1 rise 15 cents, or 0.2 per cent, to $95.67 a barrel at 0100 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures CLc1 were up 26 cents, or 0.3pc, at $91.56.
On a weekly basis, Brent rose 7.1pc and WTI was 9.8pc higher, set for the highest gains since the week ended July 20.
South Korea prepares Hormuz military deployment, media reports say
South Korea is preparing to deploy military assets to support freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and aims to dispatch them before the end of the year, media reports, citing government and military sources, according to Reuters.
The reports in several South Korean media outlets say the government is preparing procedures to seek parliamentary approval for the deployment, including submitting a consent motion to parliament this month after cabinet review.
The government is considering options including sending a maritime patrol aircraft, a logistics support vessel or a mine detection and clearance unit, and has been discussing the scale and nature of a potential contribution with countries including the United States, Britain and France, the reports say.
South Korea’s presidential Blue House says Seoul had been discussing practical ways to contribute to freedom of navigation in the strait, but reports that the government had settled on a deployment were “different from the facts”.
Houthis say drones targeted Saudi positions
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said Thursday that “Rujum” drones targeted Saudi military positions, vehicles and troop concentrations on several fronts, the group-run SABA news agency reported.
The Houthis said several Saudi military vehicles were set on fire or destroyed, and that barracks and troop concentrations were also targeted, according to the report.
Netanyahu says toppling Iran's govt 'within reach'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said Iran’s government was weaker than ever and fighting for its survival, expressing confidence that toppling it was “within reach” as the United States resumed attacks.
Netanyahu said Iran’s government was “currently teetering” and described its overthrow as the central task still ahead.
“I am convinced that we can remove this threat once and for all — that is, to overthrow this government. That is the central task that still lies ahead of us, but it is close. It is not impossible. It is within reach,” he said.
Netanyahu also said Iran had attacked others in the region but had not targeted Israel, arguing that Tehran was aware of Israel’s military strength and determination.
“They know our power — the strength of our arms — and our determination,” he said.
Oman rejects Iran's Hormuz fee proposal despite IRGC claim: report
Oman has rejected Iran’s proposal to jointly charge service fees on commercial ships using the Strait of Hormuz, the New York Post reported Thursday, citing a high-ranking regional official.
The official told the Post that Muscat declined to consent to fees for environmental and security services, even on a voluntary basis. A US official separately told the newspaper last week that the terms of a proposed revenue-sharing arrangement had not been finalized.
The report contradicts an earlier claim by IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi that Iran and Oman had reached agreements over their respective shares of the strait’s waters and revenues after Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Omani counterpart Badr Albusaidi in Tehran.
Bessent welcomes EU joining US-led Operation Economic Outcast
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent welcomed the European Union’s decision to join the US-led Operation Economic Outcast against Iran on Thursday, praising its “strong and early stance.”
“The European Union has officially joined Operation Economic Outcast,” Bessent wrote in a post on X.
Bessent also shared an EU statement issued in the context of the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meetings, in which the bloc welcomed additional economic pressure on Iran, including through the US-led operation.
'I wouldn't call it a war': Vance on Iran
US Vice President JD Vance has refused to call operations in Iran a “war”, when asked about the timeline of the conflict.
“I wouldn’t call it a war. Right now, there is no active shooting. I recognise there have been places where this has flared up,” he responds. “Major combat operations lasted for about six weeks.”
US has 'tools at our disposal' to deal with Iran: Vance
Asked if the US is aiming to provide support for an uprising in Iran, Vice President JD Vance says that Washington is doing “a lot of things” to apply pressure to Tehran.
“We’re protecting a lot of ships, which is why we have not had a worldwide energy crisis,” he tells reporters, adding that everything the US can do is “on the table”.
“That said, there are a lot of, of course, additional tools at our disposal; some of those the president will use and some of them he won’t, but I’m not going to advertise exactly how we’re going to engage with the Iranians in the months and years to come, because it frankly would take away the president’s decision space.”
Vance says US not talking to Iran unless they stop shooting at ships
US Vice President JD Vance tells reporters that Washington does not plan to hold talks with Tehran unless Iran stops attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports.
“They’ve got to stop. It’s that simple,” he says.
Vance reiterates that US 'never targets civilians'
Asked about a US strike on a wedding ceremony in southern Iran, Vice President JD Vance says he has been briefed to the extent that he knows the incident is under investigation.
“I will say that the Iranian state media has not been a very good scribe in the conflict thus far,” he tells reporters in the White House, expressing scepticism.
“What I can say with 100 per cent confidence is that unlike the IRGC, the United States never targets civilians in combat. We never will do that; we never have done that,” Vance emphasises. “Unfortunately, obviously, sometimes things happen, but in this particular case I don’t think that we have information one way or the other.”
Vance says that the investigation is ongoing “because we care [and] we want to know”.
“This is the big difference between us and Iran: when our military makes mistakes, we learn from them so we can get better from them,” he adds.
Jordan, Bahrain kings call for halt to Iran-US escalation
Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa discussed regional developments amid hostilities between Iran and the US, which resumed this week, during a phone call Thursday.
The two leaders called for an end to the “dangerous escalation” in the region, according to a statement by Jordan’s Royal Hashemite Court.
They also discussed strengthening cooperation and coordination in support
Iran oil minister says industry continues to bypass US blockade
Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said in an interview with semi-official ISNA that the country’s oil industry continues to circumvent the blockade imposed by US forces.
“We had restrictions on transferring oil beyond the blockade line. In some cases we managed to get through, and in some cases that was not possible,” Paknejad said.
He said Tehran had adopted measures to get around the blockade and had been able to sell and deliver oil to customers “perhaps thousands of kilometers” from the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
“After the 12-day war, we were able to increase oil production by about 70,000 barrels per day,” Paknejad added.