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On March 11 (local time), the Associated Press reported that Iran has effectively curtailed cargo transit through the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint linking the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. The strait handles roughly 20% of the world’s seaborne oil shipments.
In the early hours that day, a container ship near Oman’s coast in the Strait of Hormuz was struck, caught fire and its crew abandoned ship. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), run by the British military, said a projectile hit the vessel and sparked the blaze.
Iran has not officially claimed responsibility for the incident, but regional authorities say ships near the strait have been attacked repeatedly in recent days.
Attacks on Gulf states continued. Kuwait said it shot down eight Iranian drones, while Saudi Arabia reported intercepting five drones bound for the Shaybah oil field.
Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry also said it destroyed six Iranian ballistic missiles fired toward the eastern Prince Sultan Air Base.
The United Arab Emirates said it activated air defenses in response to Iranian strikes. So far, authorities report six dead and 122 wounded from the attacks. In Bahrain, an attack on a residential building in the capital Manama the previous day killed a 29-year-old woman and wounded eight others.
Military clashes between Israel and Iran continued as well. Israel resumed airstrikes against Tehran that day.
Israel also said it launched new attacks in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia. Lebanon’s health ministry reported Israeli airstrikes killed five people in the southern Nabatieh area and one person each in Tyre and Bint Jbeil.
The escalation followed Feb. 28 U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and subsequent Hezbollah rocket fire into northern Israel. Lebanese officials now estimate roughly 500 people have been killed in Lebanon since the violence intensified.
The U.N. Security Council was scheduled to vote that day on a Gulf Cooperation Council–backed resolution calling on Iran to stop its attacks, the AP reported. The draft condemns Iran’s strikes on Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan and demands Iran halt all attacks on neighboring countries.
With concerns the conflict could drag on, global oil markets have swung sharply. Brent crude has risen about 20% since the fighting began.
