New and serious military escalation in Middle EastThe armed forces of the United States they destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in response to the launch of ballistic missiles by the Pasdaran against a US Navy warship. No Americans were injured. Tehran's response was not long in coming: the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) declared that they had hit the Al-Azraq base in Jordan, which hosts American troops, and of targeting two US destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz. He reports it Aljazeera.
According to the reconstruction provided by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), the American strikes hit four tankers in the Gulf of Oman and one near Kharg Island. "Iran continues to attempt to strike US Navy vessels, and every time it does or attempts to do so, it will lose tankers," the US Secretary of State declared. Marco Rubio, to journalists during a visit to Colombia, as reported by US media.
Meanwhile, Jordan's air defense confirmed intercepting 18 of the 20 ballistic missiles launched from Iranian territory. According to Amman authorities, the other two missiles fell in uninhabited areas without causing any civilian casualties or injuries. The escalation in the region is causing major shocks in international energy markets, with the Brent crude oil price rises towards the threshold of 100 dollars a barrel.
Pakistan: The Mecca Pact could be triggered
Meanwhile, the Pakistan he warned the Houthi that an attack on any of the three members of the newborn Mecca Defense Alliance would be seen as an attack on all, warning that the pact could come into force following raids by Yemeni militias against theSaudi Arabia.
The warning came on Tuesday evening from Islamabad's Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, a few hours after the Houthis, aligned with Iran, launched a series of missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, targeting cities and economic and energy infrastructure and injuring at least 73 civilians. The minister said that any unprovoked aggression against a member state, or an extension of the Yemeni conflict to Saudi Arabia, would trigger the collective defense provisions of the agreement signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye in Mecca last month.
“There must be no ambiguity,” Asif said in an interview with the broadcaster Geo Tv, "there is no need for clarification on whether this is a joint defense agreement." "We are bound by the terms and conditions of this pact and, God willing, we will respect them if the need arises," Asif said.
