Persian Gulf

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Why Kharg Island Remains Off-Limits in US Strikes on Iran

Fears of oil shock, long-term instability deter strike on terminal that handles 90% of Iranian oil exports

(Newser) - One island in the Persian Gulf has become the target many hawks talk about—but no one has yet dared to hit. As the Guardian reports, Kharg Island, a five-mile-long coral outpost that handles roughly 90% of Iran's oil exports, has so far been spared in the US-Israel air...

US Says It Struck Iranian Minelayers

Central Command says 16 boats were hit near Strait of Hormuz

(Newser) - US Central Command said Tuesday night it had struck 16 Iranian vessels designed to lay naval mines near the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that handles roughly 20% of the world's oil shipments. Video released with the statement showed munitions striking nine boats, many of them tied up at...

It's the 'Biggest Disruption in World History' of Oil

Wall Street Journal analysis looks at the unprecedented 'squeeze' now underway

(Newser) - The Wall Street Journal pulls back for a 30-000-foot view of the Iran war's effect on the world's energy supply, under the sobering headline, "The Long-Feared Persian Gulf Oil Squeeze Is Upon Us." Tehran has essentially closed the Strait of Hormuz, meaning no crude is getting...

Strait of Hormuz Showdown Could Be a 'Historic' One

Traffic through key waterway has ground to a halt, with higher oil prices looming

(Newser) - Oil tankers are all but sidelined in one of the world's most important energy conduits. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has plunged since US and Israeli strikes began on Iran , as ship operators steer clear of the narrow passage that usually carries about a fifth of the world'...

Iran Partially Closes Strait of Hormuz

Live-fire drills coincided with US-Iran nuclear talks

(Newser) - Iran put part of the world's key oil artery on pause for a few hours on Tuesday. Tehran's Revolutionary Guard temporarily restricted traffic in sections of the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a safety measure during live-fire military drills, according to state media. The exercise, dubbed "Smart...

Trump Is Going to Rename Another Gulf: Report

Sources tell the AP official name used by the US for Persian Gulf will be Arabian Gulf or Gulf of Arabia

(Newser) - President Trump is planning to rename another gulf, insiders say. The president is set to announce during his upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia that the United States will begin calling the Persian Gulf either the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, according to two US officials who spoke...

After a Period of Quiet, a 'Provocative' Move From Iran

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy vessels get close to US warships

(Newser) - Six US military warships conducting exercises in international waters off Iran on Wednesday were interrupted by what the US calls a "harassing" group of nearly a dozen Iranian vessels. A statement from the US Navy's 5th Fleet says that 11 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy vessels came very...

Iran Denies US Destroyed Drone
Iran: 'We Haven't Lost a Drone'
Jul 19, 2019 3:24 AM CDT

Iran: 'We Haven't Lost a Drone'

Tehran denies there was confrontation with US vessel

(Newser) - Iran on Friday denied President Trump's statement that a US warship destroyed an Iranian drone near the Persian Gulf after it threatened the ship—an incident that marked a new escalation of tensions between the countries less than a month after Iran downed an American drone in the same...

Trump: US Warship Destroyed Iranian Drone

He's calling on other countries to condemn Iran

(Newser) - President Trump says a US warship destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions between the two countries, the AP reports. Trump says it's the latest "hostile" action by Iran. He's calling on other countries to condemn what he says are Iran's...

UK Says Iranian Vessels Tried to Block Oil Tanker

Royal Navy vessel intervened, government say

(Newser) - The British navy says it prevented three Iranian paramilitary vessels from impeding the passage of a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early Thursday, a day after Iran's president warned of repercussions for the seizure of its own supertanker. Iran's Revolutionary Guard denied the allegations, saying...

Report: 2 Oil Tankers Attacked in Gulf of Oman

US Navy assists damaged vessels

(Newser) - Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz were reportedly attacked on Thursday, an assault that left one ablaze and adrift as sailors were evacuated from both vessels and the US Navy rushed to assist amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. Japan's Trade Ministry said the two...

Photos Taken May 3 Added Fuel to Iran Fears

'NYT': Photos show missiles on boats in Persian Gulf

(Newser) - Non-essential Embassy staff members in Iraq have been told to leave , and there's been a report that the Pentagon could send 120,000 troops to the Middle East if tensions with Iran reach a breaking point. Now, a possible clue as to why the hubbub over Iran has suddenly...

Commercial Ships Survived Sabotage, UAE Reports

US has warned of possible attacks in region

(Newser) - The United Arab Emirates said Sunday that four commercial ships off its eastern coast "were subjected to sabotage operations," hours after Iranian and Lebanese media outlets aired false reports of explosions at a nearby Emirati port. Emirati officials declined to say who might have been responsible, the AP...

This $1.4B Warship Doesn't Work in Warm Water

British destroyer basically loses all power while sailing in Persian Gulf

(Newser) - Crew members in the British Royal Navy keep coming up against a pesky, possibly dangerous Achilles' heel as their $1.4 billion warships cruise through the Persian Gulf: warm waters. Water temps there can hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and that's causing the ships to lose power, CNN reports. During...

Navigational Blunder Blamed for Capture of US Sailors

Iran incident a 'debacle,' retired admiral says

(Newser) - It was human error, not mechanical trouble, that led to 10 US service members being detained by Iran after straying into its waters, according to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. "They obviously had misnavigated," he told reporters on Thursday, per the AP . "They did not report this navigational...

Iran: 10 US Sailors Freed
 Iran Frees 10 American Sailors 
Jan 13, 2016 6:14 AM CST

Iran Frees 10 American Sailors

Iran says they suffered mechanical problems

(Newser) - They're free again: Iranian state television is reporting that all 10 US sailors detained by Iran after entering its territorial waters have been released. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said the sailors were released Wednesday after it was determined that their entry was not intentional. The nine men and one...

US: Iran Fired Rockets Near Our Warships

Pentagon calls exercise in Strait of Hormuz 'highly provocative'

(Newser) - The US is accusing Iran of "highly provocative" actions near the Persian Gulf—with live missiles. Officials say Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessels conducted a live fire exercise in the narrow Strait of Hormuz "in close proximity" to US ships over the weekend. As first reported by NBC News...

The Gulf Is Becoming Too Hot for Humans
 Persian Gulf Is Getting 
 Too Hot for Humans 
NEW STUDY
Oct 27, 2015 5:23 AM CDT

Persian Gulf Is Getting Too Hot for Humans

Heat, humidity will create killer conditions, study warns

(Newser) - A stark warning, even by the standards of climate research: If emissions continue at their current level, parts of the Persian Gulf region will simply become too hot and humid for people to survive in. Researchers say that by the end of this century, the combined heat and humidity "...

Marine 'Presumed Lost' Is First US Anti-ISIS Casualty

He ejected from Osprey over Persian Gulf

(Newser) - A Marine who ejected from an airplane over the Persian Gulf is "presumed lost at sea," the US Navy says, marking the first reported casualty from the ongoing operation against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The Marine and another crew member ejected from an MV-22 Osprey when the...

Marines Helicopter Crashes With 25 on Board

But all are rescued in Gulf of Aden

(Newser) - Close call in the Arabian Sea: A group of 17 Marines and eight Navy sailors avoided serious injury today when their helicopter crashed in the Gulf of Aden, the Navy says. The CH-53E Super Stallion—a Marine Corps helicopter—was trying to land on the USS Mesa Verde's deck...

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