Tel Aviv/Washington — Iran attacked and set ablaze a fully loaded crude oil tanker off Dubai on Tuesday, intensifying already heightened tensions in the region after warnings from US President Donald Trump over Tehran’s actions in key shipping routes.
The Kuwait-flagged tanker Al-Salmi was struck early Tuesday, according to its owner, Kuwait Petroleum Corp. The attack caused a fire and damage to the vessel’s hull, though no injuries were reported. Authorities in Dubai later confirmed that the fire had been brought under control.
The latest incident marks another escalation in a series of assaults on merchant vessels in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, where missiles and explosive drones have increasingly been deployed. The attacks come amid a month-long conflict that erupted following US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
The ongoing hostilities have spread across the Middle East, resulting in thousands of deaths, disrupting global energy supplies, and raising fears of a broader economic fallout.
Oil markets reacted swiftly to the tanker attack, with crude prices briefly spiking. The Al-Salmi, capable of carrying around 2 million barrels of oil valued at more than $200 million at current prices, underscores the scale of potential disruption to global supply chains.
In Washington, Trump reiterated his warning to Tehran, saying the United States would “obliterate” Iran’s energy infrastructure, including oil wells and facilities, if it failed to open the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil shipments.
Rising fuel costs are already affecting US consumers, with the national average price of petrol surpassing $4 per gallon for the first time in more than three years, according to GasBuddy data. The surge in prices has become a growing political concern for the administration ahead of the November midterm elections, as Trump has pledged to reduce energy costs and boost domestic oil and gas production.
In Europe, officials are bracing for prolonged instability in energy markets. European Union Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen urged governments to prepare for a “potentially prolonged disruption” as supply uncertainties persist.
Meanwhile, military actions continue across the region. Israel launched missile strikes targeting what it described as military infrastructure in Tehran, as well as sites linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah in Beirut. The Israeli military reported that four of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon, an area that has also seen the deaths of three United Nations peacekeepers from Indonesia in separate incidents in recent days.
With both sides showing no signs of de-escalation, concerns are mounting over the possibility of a wider regional conflict that could further destabilize global energy markets and economic conditions.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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