TEHRAN/WASHINGTON/TEL AVIV (dpa-AFX) – Despite sharp increases in oil prices, the USA and Israel are intensifying their attacks on Iran. “Our heaviest bombardment will take place tonight,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business, referring to Saturday night. According to the army, Israel’s air force also carried out another “broad wave” of attacks in Tehran. Reports, which were not disputed by the US government, that Russia was providing Iran with information about American troops and possible targets in the Middle East also attracted attention.
Iran’s state media broadcast footage of enormous fires at Mehrabad Airport in the capital following the latest attacks. In return, Iran attacked Israel again with missiles. These were intercepted. Iran also tried to attack an oil field in Saudi Arabia with drones. The Ministry of Defense in Riyadh announced that six drones that were launched in the direction of the huge Shaiba oil field were intercepted and destroyed.
Persian Gulf oil producer warehouses are filling up quickly
Due to fears of attacks by Iran, hardly any ships are currently passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which is important for oil and gas transport. However, Iran dismissed reports of a complete lockdown. All ships are allowed to pass – with the exception of US and Israeli ships. “They have no business there,” said army spokesman Abolfasl Shekarchi on television.
According to information from the US newspaper “Wall Street Journal”, the large oil storage facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are now filling up so quickly that the two countries are likely to reach their capacity limits in less than three weeks. Meanwhile, Kuwait has already begun to reduce its oil production due to a lack of storage capacity. If production falls significantly, oil prices are likely to rise further.
Bessent: Sanctions on Russian oil could be relaxed
Oil prices are rising due to supply problems. On Friday afternoon, North Sea Brent crude oil for delivery in May traded above $90 per barrel (159 liters) for the first time since April 2024. Before the war, the price in February was around $70.
In order to ensure more supply, US Treasury Secretary Bessent raised the possibility of further easing sanctions on Russian oil. “We could exempt more Russian oil shipments from sanctions,” he told Fox Business. “We will continue to regularly announce measures to provide relief to the market during this conflict.” Previously, the US on Thursday allowed Indian refineries to buy Russian oil already loaded on tankers for a limited period.
Moscow’s role in Iran’s counterattacks
The US government initially did not deny US media reports that Russia was providing Iran with location information and movement data for American troops, ships and aircraft. Defense Minister Pete Hegseth told CBS News that the USA was watching everything.
“It appears to be a fairly comprehensive measure,” the Washington Post quoted one of the people as saying. According to CNN, most of the information shared is images taken using Moscow’s modern satellites.
Russia is not officially intervening in the conflict. It entered into a “strategic partnership” with Iran last year, which also includes military and armaments cooperation. However, the treaty contains no obligation to intervene if one of the countries is attacked.
The White House expects the war to last four to six weeks, US President Donald Trump’s spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said. In the war with Iran that has been ongoing since last Saturday, the US government has once again changed its assessment of the expected duration of the war. The US military says it has attacked more than 3,000 targets in Iran so far. Added to this are Israel’s attacks.
Trump: US defense companies want to increase production
According to Trump, US defense companies agreed to increase the production of weapons. After meeting with company representatives, Trump said on Truth Social that they had pledged to quadruple production of advanced weapons. It remained unclear which weapons and what period of time were involved.
At the same time, the US State Department announced that it would approve a possible sale of ammunition to Israel for $151.8 million (130 million euros) without review by Congress.
Even a week after the start of the American-Israeli attacks on Iran, the Islamic Republic continues to fire rockets at its arch-enemy Israel. During the night, the Israeli army reported further attacks from Iran, and air defense was deployed. Soon afterwards the army gave the all-clear again.
France moves helicopter carriers to the Middle East
In addition to its aircraft carrier “Charles de Gaulle”, France is also moving a helicopter carrier to the Mediterranean. The General Staff said this was intended to reinforce the military forces already sent from Paris. “An amphibious helicopter carrier will be deployed in the Mediterranean to complement French forces in the context of the Middle East crisis,” a spokeswoman said.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Rawanchi warned on France24 that if countries “join the US and Israel in aggression against Iran, they will definitely also be a legitimate target for Iranian retaliation.” Tehran has already informed “the Europeans and everyone else” that they should be careful not to get drawn into the war, said Tacht-Rawantschi./ln/DP/zb
