Middle East crisis live: US strikes Iran for third consecutive night; UAE says Tehran has hit tankers in strait of Hormuz

Just before the latest strikes Trump said Iran would be hit ‘very hard’; UAE says Iranian cruise missiles hit two oil tankers in strait, killing a crew member and wounding eight

• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/13/us-launches-third-night-of-strikes-on-iran-as-trump-announces-hormuz-blockade">US launches third night of strikes on Iran as Trump announces Hormuz blockade

Welcome to our continuing live coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.

The US carried out a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Monday and two tankers came under fire in the strait of Hormuz after Donald Trump said Washington was reinstating its blockade of Iranian shipping in the Gulf and would ensure that the strategic waterway stayed ⁠open, but for a fee.

Iranian media reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran’s Kish and Qeshm islands and on Abu Musa Island in the Gulf soon after the US military announced renewed strikes on Iran.

The US military started preparing to resume blockading ships heading to and exiting Iranian ports from 4pm ET on Tuesday, US Central Command said, after Trump’s announcement.

Oil prices roes 2% to their highest in four weeks amid heightened uncertainty about energy ⁠flows through the strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude futures climbed 2% ​to $84.98 a barrel by 0051 GMT on Tuesday, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 2.1% to $79.79.

Brent crude surged 9.6% in ⁠the previous session – its biggest daily gain since May 2020.

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) said passage through the strait of Hormuz “should remain free of any tolls and charges, in accordance with international law”.

The ⁠Saudi-led ⁠coalition in ​Yemen said ⁠its ​air ‌defences ‌dealt with ‌ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s ‌Iran-aligned Houthis towards ​the ⁠kingdom’s southern region, as tensions rose after Sana’a airport was attacked.

The Houthis earlier said Saudi Arabia had launched strikes on the airport in the Yemeni capital.

The Saudi-backed Yemeni government claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it wanted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.

The Houthis earlier warned the strikes would end an informal truce between the two sides that has held since 2022.