Dubai: President Donald Trump said his administration was considering ‘winding down’ military operations in the Middle East even as the United States announced it was sending more warships and Marines to the region and Iran threatened to attack tourist sites worldwide.
The mixed US messages came after another climb in oil prices plunged the US stock market, and was followed by a Trump administration announcement that it will lift sanctions on Iranian oil loaded on ships, a move aimed at wrangling soaring fuel prices.
The war, meanwhile, has shown no signs of abating.
Israel said Iran continued to fire missiles at it early Saturday, while Saudi Arabia said it downed 20 drones in just a couple of hours in the country’s eastern region, which is home to major oil installations. The defence ministry said there were no injuries or damage.
The death toll has risen to more than 1,300 people in Iran, more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, 15 in Israel and 13 US military members in the region. Millions of people in Lebanon and Iran have been displaced.
Iran holds funeral service for Revolutionary Guard spokesperson
Iran held funeral processions Saturday for Revolutionary Guard spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naini, who was killed a day earlier in an Israeli strike, according to Iran’s state-run media.
Iran’s state TV and other semiofficial outlets aired footage showing funeral prayers they said were for Naini.
Sirens sound in Israel
Sirens sounded in Israel Saturday morning as the military said it was responding to a missile attack from Iran.
Israel strikes targets in Tehran and Beirut
The Israeli military said early Saturday it was striking targets in Tehran.
The announcement came shortly after the military said it had begun a wave of strikes targeting Hezbollah positions across the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon.
Hours earlier, the army renewed evacuation warnings for seven neighbourhoods in Beirut’s suburbs, prompting some residents to fire gunshots to alert families who had returned to flee.
No casualties were immediately reported.
United Airlines prepares for oil to reach USD 175 a barrel
The airline’s CEO said the company is also preparing for oil not to return to USD 100 a barrel until the end of next year.
Scott Kirby said in a message to United employees on Friday that jet fuel prices that have more than doubled in the last three weeks already would cost the airline USD 11 billion a year if they remain where they are now.
The price of Brent crude has zigzagged from roughly USD 70 per barrel before the Iran war began to as high as USD 119.50 this week.
Of United’s worst-case assumption, Kirby said, “I think there’s a good chance it won’t be that bad, but.
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