Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Friday that three oil tankers, including one carrying more than two million barrels of oil, exploded and caught fire while traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels near Mecca, Islam's holiest city. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Friday. Read our full coverage here.
Iran says supertanker struck mine and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Friday that a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil struck a naval mine, exploded and caught fire while using an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported. The Guard said it was the third oil tanker to explode Friday after attempting to use unauthorized routes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly warned vessels against passing through the strait without Tehran's permission. It has claimed responsibility for attacks on ships and said last month that vessels attempting to pass through the strait without authorization would face "destruction." Tehran has asserted control over much of the waterway since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28.
Earlier Friday, the Guard’s navy said two other tankers caught fire after striking mines in the strait, Iranian state TV reported. It claimed the vessels had switched off their navigation and positioning systems and ignored repeated radio warnings. Iran’s report did not identify the vessels or provide details about the crews. The AP could not verify those claims.
Meanwhile, Oman said it had evacuated 25 crew members from a Panama-flagged tanker that was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, 1.6 nautical miles off the coast of Musandam Governorate, catching fire. It is unclear if that incident is related to the fires described by Iran.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center also reported Friday that a vessel was struck by an “unknown projectile” south of Lavan, an island just off mainland Iran near Shidvar. The organization, part of the British military that monitors maritime safety, said the crew was safe.
No casualties reported in Houthi attacks in Yemen
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked the port city of Aden with ballistic missiles on Friday, the spokesman for Yemen’s Saudi-backed military said, as fighting has escalated between the Iran-backed group and the Saudi-led coalition in the latest front in the Iran war.
Col. Majed al-Nazili said in a statement that the missiles targeted Aden international airport, which the Houthi rebels repeatedly struck this month, as well as the palace used by Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which was also attacked weeks ago.
Ahmed Hassan, who lives near the palace, said the explosions were so loud they broke the windows.
The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attacks.
No casualties were reported, according to a government official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Aden has been the interim seat of Yemen’s Saudi-backed internationally recognized government since 2015, when the Houthis seized the country’s capital of Sanaa.
Earlier Friday, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by the Houthis in the region surrounding Mecca, Islam’s holiest city and a destination for millions of Muslim pilgrims each year.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree denied carrying out any operations targeting Mecca, saying that the group’s military operations are aimed at Saudi oil facilities and military bases.
Meanwhile, the United Nations said the number of displaced people in Yemen has surpassed 281,000, adding that “the crisis is spreading rather than stabilizing.”
Qatari mediators returned to Tehran on Friday for talks with Iranian officials
Iranian state media said Friday that Qatari mediators have returned to Iran for talks with officials, in the latest diplomatic push to try to broker an end to the war with the U.S. and Israel. The IRNA state news agency said the Qatari delegation was headed by the country’s foreign minister and senior adviser to the prime minister. It said they were meeting with senior Iranian officials but did not specify who.
The visit follows outreach from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who sent a letter in recent days to Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. Tehran on Thursday acknowledged receipt of the letter but said it had not responded and did not detail its contents. U.S. President Donald Trump suggested the letter was not about peace negotiations but instead about possibly allowing humanitarian aid.
Diplomats say U.S. officials have told Middle East countries and regional allies to be prepared for potential renewed military action against Iran after next week's midterm elections in the United States.
Israeli forces demolished two homes of Palestinian gunmen who attacked soldiers
Israeli forces demolished two homes in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Friday belonging to Palestinian gunmen who carried out an attack last week that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others. Israel launched a sweeping military operation following the attack last week, killing both gunmen, and ordered residents to evacuate the gunmen’s neighborhood and closed roads into and out of Hebron.
The U.N. humanitarian office said earlier this week that more than 3,000 people had been displaced by Israeli forces, with closures disrupting businesses and movement throughout the city.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk warned earlier this week that the operation raised grave concerns about unnecessary and disproportionate use of force. He said statements by senior Israeli officials indicated the measures were punitive and designed to instill fear, and called for displaced residents to be allowed home. “Collective punishment is a grave violation of international law,” he said.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.