US-Iran war escalates, Houthis threaten Saudi blockade

The conflict between the United States and Iran has escalated into a full-scale war, according to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. US President Donald Trump warned Iran would pay 'many times over' for every American soldier killed, as US fatalities reached 17 and nearly 100 servicemembers have been wounded since July 7. The US launched a tenth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's army claimed to have targeted US assets in Kuwait, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed strikes in Jordan, Bahrain, and Syria. Jordan's air defenses downed three Iranian missiles. Meanwhile, Iran's Yemeni allies, the Houthis, threatened to blockade Saudi ports, risking Riyadh's ability to export oil via the Red Sea port of Saudi Arabia — Yanbu. Saudi Arabia condemned the threat. Oil prices surged to a one-month high as the adversaries battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of world oil once traveled. Diplomatic exchanges via mediators are ongoing, according to Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei. Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni was set to travel to Pakistan for mediation. In the Strait of Hormuz, multiple vessels were attacked, with sailors abandoning a burning ship and another tanker struck off Oman.