FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
An increase in oil prices was predictable before the market opened.
The world saw a drop of more than 10% on Friday after Iran said it would reopen the key shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz.
Now that it's closed again, with prospects for US-Iran peace fading, Brent crude is 5% higher in Asian trade at $95 a barrel.
At that level, it's still well below the conflict peak of $118, but more than 50% higher year to date.
Meanwhile, Iranian forces launched drone attacks on several US ships on Sunday in retaliation for US forces shooting down and seizing an Iranian ship, according to local media.
Local media report that after US forces boarded the container ship TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian drones were launched against US ships, without specifying whether the targets were military or commercial.
Iran had previously confirmed that US forces had seized the Iranian ship and warned it would retaliate "soon" after the action, which it called a violation of a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, which has largely been implemented since it was announced on April 7.
According to local media reports, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Command said that US forces had targeted the ship, disabled its tracking system and boarded it after what it described as a ceasefire violation.
Ship tracking records show that TOUSKA departed from Port Klang in Malaysia on April 12.
Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said US forces opened fire on the ship before boarding it.
The incident was first announced by US President Donald Trump on Sunday and later confirmed by US Central Command (CENTCOM), which said the USS Spruance seized the Iranian-flagged cargo ship, which attempted to violate a US naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman.
According to CENTCOM, the Marines continue to hold the ship under U.S. custody. A statement said it was destined for the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.
CENTCOM also released video footage on the US social media company X platform, showing a US warship warning the ship before firing.
Zolfaghari said that "the aggressive United States, violating the ceasefire and engaging in maritime piracy, attacked one of Iran's ships after disabling its navigation system."
He added that US forces boarded the ship after placing "a number of terrorist marines" on it.
"We warn that Iran's military forces will soon respond and retaliate against this armed act of piracy by the US military ," he said.
Lini një Përgjigje