WASHINGTON / TEHRAN — Military operations and diplomatic standoffs between the United States and Iran escalated sharply on Friday as the conflict entered its 13th consecutive night of strikes, with U.S. naval forces disabling a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman and Iranian-backed forces targeting American positions across the Persian Gulf.
According to U.S. Central Command, American forces disabled the merchant ship M/T Lavine after it repeatedly attempted to run the U.S. military blockade enforced on Iranian maritime traffic. Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for Central Command, confirmed that the crew was issued multiple warnings before forces fired directly into the ship's engine room. The vessel had reportedly attempted to breach the blockade line at least four times. It marks the second commercial vessel disabled by the U.S. military since the reinstitution of maritime blockades against Iranian ports.
The military escalation coincided with high-level deliberations in Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump convened a meeting with senior national security advisers to discuss whether to maintain the current operational posture or authorize expanded military strikes against Iranian targets, according to a U.S. official familiar with the internal discussions.
As fighting flared across multiple fronts, Saudi-led coalition forces launched airstrikes targeting the port city of Hodeida in Yemen early Saturday. The coalition stated the strikes came in retaliation for recent attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels against Saudi oil tankers operating in the Red Sea. In response, Houthi representatives pledged further military escalation, disrupting a yearslong relative calm in the waterway.
Diplomatic and civil warnings have intensified across the region. American embassies throughout the Middle East advised U.S. citizens that commercial departure options could soon become severely constrained. Concurrently, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued advisories urging residents in neighboring countries to avoid proximity to military installations hosting American troops.
On the diplomatic front, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi firmly rejected American diplomatic pressure during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers' summit in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan. Speaking to reporters following the summit, Araghchi stated that communication channels remain open, but asserted that U.S. reliance on "bullying and coercion" prevents meaningful negotiations.
"Iran has shown that it will not bow to U.S. bullying and will under no circumstances respond to the language of force, pressure, and threats," Araghchi said, reiterating Tehran's stance against American military and economic posture in the region.
