US Threatens Unprecedented Measures Against Iran Amid Strait of Hormuz Attacks
The United States has warned it will employ unprecedented measures against Iran following recent attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant stated that the US plans to use tools never before deployed against Iran. This escalation comes after the national oil company of Abu Dhabi reported that two of its vessels were attacked while passing through the strategic waterway, with no casualties reported. The UAE Foreign Ministry condemned the assaults.
Meanwhile, US President Trump's envoy is scheduled to visit Israel and plans to travel to Cairo next week for talks with Egyptian mediators, with Qatari and Turkish intermediaries also expected to participate. The US military has reportedly lost about 25% of its MQ-9 Reaper drones, valued up to $50 million each, during the conflict with Iran, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz area. These drones, used for intelligence and targeted strikes, have become vulnerable due to their slow speed and low altitude.
In response to the tensions, Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Chairman Ebrahim Azizi warned that reliance on foreign influence threatens national sovereignty and will provoke a firm Iranian response. Concurrently, the Israeli military and Shin Bet announced the killing of Hamas operative Jamal Mahmoud Abu Kamil, who infiltrated Israeli territory on October 7.
Additional regional developments include Israeli strikes in Lebanon, reported by the Upper Galilee Regional Council, and warnings from Israeli observers near Gaza about increased Hamas militant activity reminiscent of the period before the October 7 attacks. The Houthi movement claimed drone attacks on a Saudi oil refinery in Jizan. The US Navy is rotating its aircraft carriers in the Middle East, sending the USS George Washington to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln amid congressional concerns over the latter's condition.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin affirmed that the US can maintain its naval blockade as long as necessary, dismissing reports about the USS Lincoln's status as inaccurate. Israeli President Isaac Herzog marked the sixth anniversary of the Abraham Accords, praising the peace process initiated under President Trump and Jared Kushner's team and calling for expanding peace across the Middle East.
