US-Iran Tensions Escalate Over Strait of Hormuz Amid Houthi Attacks and Tanker Strike

Rhetoric intensified as US President Donald Trump threatened to declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory, a move Iran vowed to resist. Concurrently, Houthi fighters continued attacks, hitting Saudi Aramco's Jazan Refinery for the second time and causing six deaths in a Red Sea strike. The UAE accused Iran of striking one of its tankers in the Strait for the third time in a week, further highlighting risks to global energy and shipping markets.