CENTCOM Says 1.7 Billion Barrels of Oil Shipped Through Hormuz Under US Guard

CENTCOM announced Saturday that over 1.7 billion barrels of crude oil have been transported through the Strait of Hormuz by Gulf partners operating under US protection. The command posted the figure on X, pairing it with images of US Air Force F-16 fighter jets patrolling regional waters in the Middle East. It did not say over what period those shipments took place.

Tehran fired back the same day. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei accused Washington of threatening to starve Iranian civilians through a blockade, pointing to Secretary of State Marco Rubio's remark that 'They have to eat eventually.' Baghaei said the US was 'pursuing war crimes' and carrying on a policy of 'economic terrorism against Iran,' adding that after decades of failed coercion and sanctions, Washington keeps repackaging the same mistakes under new names.

Diplomats were working the same waterway. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan met in Abu Dhabi on Saturday to talk Persian Gulf tensions and maritime security, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. Both sides called for 'stable, unimpeded, and secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz' and for disputes to be settled by political and diplomatic means. Lavrov also said he was ready to work with other countries on a 'comprehensive security architecture' for the region.

Further south, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed Saturday that the group launched several ballistic missiles at Saudi military positions in southwestern Yemen. He said the strikes hit troop concentrations belonging to Saudi officer Badr al-Harbi in the Kharaz area of Lahj Governorate, calling them 'precise and direct' and claiming dozens dead and wounded plus destroyed vehicles. The reported targets sit near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, another chokepoint for shipping.

Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said coalition air defenses intercepted and destroyed two Houthi drones fired toward Riyadh and the country's southern regions. Yemeni government forces separately said the Houthis hit the northern port city of Aden with two ballistic missiles, one day after the rebels reportedly attacked Saudi officers at Jabal Hadid camp in Aden governorate.