• Attacks near strait:Three vessels were hit by unknown projectiles nearthe Strait of Hormuztoday, the UK’s maritime agency said. Meanwhile, three crew members on board a Thai vesselremain unaccounted forafter it was struck today.Sources told CNNTehran had begun laying mines in the key waterway.
•Iran ramps up:Iran claimed it launched its“most intense and heaviest operation”since the start of the war, state media reported, as interceptions were reported across Gulf states and Israel. Russia is also now giving Iranspecific advice on drone tactics, a source tells CNN.
• Renewed attacks:Israel said it had begun an “additional wave” of strikes on targets in Tehran today. Beyond the capital,a CNN team in northern Iranreported nighttime air raids lasting nearly an hour. Strikes in Iranhave killed more than 1,300since the conflict started, according to Iran’s UN ambassador.
•Supreme leader:The son of Iran’s president says new Supreme LeaderMojtaba Khamenei“is safe” amid rumors he was injured in US-Israeli strikes. Khamenei has not been seen in public since his election on Sunday.
Oil prices rebounded today as worries about a prolonged supply disruption in the Strait of Hormuz outweighed a report of a potential record release of oil reserves.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, gained around 4% to trade above $91 a barrel after falls earlier in the day. WTI, the US benchmark, rose about 4.5% to around $87 a barrel.
The rally in prices followed sharp declines Tuesday, suggesting traders may be skeptical that a reported proposalby the International Energy Agency to release oil reserves will be enough to offset the currentoil supply shock.
Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal reported the IEA would propose to release as much as 400 million barrels of oil into the market from various countries’ strategic petroleum reserves. That would easily exceed the 182 million barrels of oil that they put onto the market in two tranches in 2022 when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Group of Seven nations are expected to decide on the proposal Wednesday, the Journal reported, citing officials. CNN has contacted the IEA for comment.
Read more onconcerns about a prolonged disruption to supply, here.
Source: Drudge Report
