&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "West Asia tensions escalate: Iran targets US sea drone in Hormuz; Saudi issues danger alert, oil tops $100")
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday (Sept 10) that its navy had targeted a US unmanned surface vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, adding another flashpoint to the escalating conflict in West Asia.
"The Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted a Saildrone Explorer-type unmanned surface vessel in the Strait of Hormuz area," the IRGC said, according to Sepah news, which carried the statement under the headline "Destruction of a US Saildrone in the Strait of Hormuz".
The IRGC said the Saildrone Explorer had been deployed in the region by the US Fifth Fleet, which is headquartered in Bahrain. The United States has previously operated Saildrone Explorer unmanned vessels in the Gulf to collect data and images.
The sea drones are powered by solar and wind energy and can reportedly remain at sea for up to a year, allowing them to conduct extended surveillance missions.
The latest claim came a day after Iran said it had captured an unmanned US submarine drone. The US military disputed Tehran's account, saying one of its underwater drones had "malfunctioned".
Saudi Arabia issues danger warning
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Meanwhile, Saudi authorities issued brief danger alerts for Abha and Khamis Mushait, two areas near the country's border with Yemen.
Saudi civil defence said the warnings were issued over a potential danger before being lifted shortly afterwards. Both locations had come under Houthi attacks earlier in the week.
The alerts followed claims by Iran backed Houthi rebels that Saudi Arabia had carried out dozens of airstrikes against targets in Yemen.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi forces had launched 64 strikes across four Yemeni provinces in the previous 24 hours. The group said the attacks were carried out as it continued its campaign to gain control of the Bab al Mandab Strait.
"Saudi enemy aircraft launched over the past 24 hours 64 airstrikes spread across the provinces of Taiz, Hodeidah, Marib and Al-Jawf using F-15 and Typhoon jets launched from the King Fahd base in Taif and King Khalid base in Khamis Mushait," Saree said, according to the Houthi affiliated Saba news agency.
Oil prices cross $100
The fresh military developments triggered renewed concerns over the security of vital oil supply routes, pushing crude prices sharply higher on Thursday.
US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude moved above $100 a barrel after the Houthis claimed they had taken control of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha.
Brent crude also jumped around five per cent to above $106 a barrel, reaching its highest level since May.
The escalation has fuelled fears that further disruptions around major shipping routes could put additional pressure on global energy supplies and inflation. The wider market also faced pressure as the European Central Bank raised its key interest rate, while bond yields climbed and stock prices fell.
