US-Iran Conflict Escalates Across Middle East

The conflict between the US and Iran has escalated across the Middle East, with multiple fronts opening up in recent weeks. The epicenter of the violence is the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that carries a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas. Iran claims control over the strait and has attacked ships attempting to use an alternative route overseen by the US military.

The US has struck back at Iran, saying the strait should be open to all international traffic. The exchanges of fire have deepened mistrust between the two sides, with Iran appearing more interested in cementing its control over the strait than making a deal with the US to lift sanctions.

In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis have declared a blockade on Saudi Arabia, threatening shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb strait and the Red Sea up to Egypt's Suez Canal. The Houthi-Saudi tensions are rooted in a separate conflict going back over a decade, but present a new front for Iran to pressure a key US ally.

Saudi Arabia accused Iran-backed militias in Iraq of launching drone attacks on its oil facilities and responded by bombing militia sites with the US. At least 20 fighters and six Iranian advisers were killed in the strikes. The Iraqi government condemned the US-Saudi actions, saying they came as it was investigating what had happened.