US-Iran war LIVE Updates: As the West Asia war enters its second week on Friday, the leaders of Iran, Israel and the United States all voiced defiance and vowed to fight.
The death toll in the unpredictable war has risen to more than 2,000 people, most in Iran, Reuters reported. It has also disrupted the lives of millions and shaken financial markets globally.
Drones have been reported flying into Kuwait, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman, undermining US and Israeli claims to have knocked out much of Iran’s stock of long-range weapons.
Two tankers were set ablaze in the port of Basra in Iraq, after being hit by suspected Iranian explosive-laden boats.
Hours earlier on Thursday, three other ships were struck in the Gulf. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for at least one attack – on a Thai bulk carrier that was set ablaze. Another container vessel reported being struck by an unknown projectile near the UAE.
What did the Iran-Israel-US leaders say?
New Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has vowed to fight on and keep the Strait of Hormuz shut. In his first defiant comments, read out by a television presenter on Thursday, Mojtaba called on neighboring countries to close US bases on their territory or risk Iran targeting them.
“I assure everyone that we will not neglect avenging the blood of your martyrs,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also issued a veiled threat to kill Khamenei and defended the military assault.
In his first news conference since the US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, Netanyahu said, “We are creating the optimal conditions for toppling the regime but I won’t deny that I can’t tell you with all certainty that the people of Iran will topple the regime – a regime is toppled from the inside.”
“But we can definitely help, and we are helping.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, who has already declared that his side won the war, said on Thursday that the United States stood to make significant money from oil prices driven higher because of supply issues tied to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
“The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money.” Stopping Iran from having nuclear weapons was far more important, he said on social media.
US military refueling plane crashes in Iraq
An American military refueling plane taking part in the operation against Iran crashed in Iraq and rescue efforts were underway, US Central Command said Thursday.
It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. However, a US official told The Associated Press that the KC-135 aircraft that crashed had at least five crew members aboard.
The crash was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire, the military said in a statement, which described the plane as “a loss.”
Oil prices hike; Iran warns of further spike
The Strait of Hormuz is the shipping route through which a fifth of global oil normally passes along Iran’s coast.
The prospect that one of the most severe disruptions ever to global energy supplies could endure sent oil prices up about 9% to $100 a barrel on Thursday, despite the announcement on Wednesday that developed countries would release 400 million barrels of oil from strategic reserves, and after falling earlier in the week on hopes of a swift end to the war.
Iran’s message is that its strategy now is to impose a prolonged economic shock to force Trump to back off. A spokesperson for Iran’s military command said on Wednesday that the world should prepare for oil prices of $200 a barrel.
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