Seventh Night in a Row: Fears of the Iran War Spreading to Neighboring States

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has nearly come to a standstill

The situation at the strait, which is central to global oil trade, is meanwhile dramatically escalating. According to data from shipping analytics firm Kpler, only eight ships transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday – the lowest figure in three weeks. Before the war began in late February, the daily average was more than 100 ships. On Wednesday, Kpler had counted 15 transit voyages, and two weeks earlier 48. Ship traffic virtually ground to a halt at times after renewed mutual attacks between the US and Iran.

Meanwhile, violence appeared to spill over to other neighboring states. "There were also reports of explosions in Saudi Arabia," according to the available reports – Saudi Arabia and Jordan host US military bases. Iranian state media (IRIB) reported detonations near Sirik close to the Strait of Hormuz and the coastal city of Bandar Abbas. Press TV also reported that at least three civilians had been killed and eight more wounded in attacks in Hormozgan province. The Gulf states of Kuwait and Bahrain came under fire again; in Kuwait, a fire broke out at a power and seawater desalination facility following Iranian retaliatory strikes, and several generators were shut down as a precaution.

Houthi militia threatens Saudi Arabia with siege

The Yemeni Houthi militia, an ally of Iran, warned neighboring Saudi Arabia, which is allied with Washington, of a "siege." According to the Yemeni news agency Saba, Houthi Defense Minister Mohammed al-Atafi said they were ready to apply "siege for siege, airport for airport and port for port." The warning apparently referred to an airstrike during the week on the airport in the capital Sanaa, for which the militia blamed Saudi Arabia. Shortly thereafter, the Saudi-backed Defense Ministry of the internationally recognized Yemeni government claimed responsibility for attacks. The Fars news agency also reported renewed attacks on bridges in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan.

Pakistan on the verge of possible entry into the war

The situation takes on particular explosiveness due to possible chain reactions. Pakistan, which last year had entered into a military alliance with Saudi Arabia, could be "forced to enter the conflict," according to a Pakistani diplomat's assessment to the dpa news agency. Pakistani diplomatic circles said that an expansion of the Iran war to Saudi Arabia, as well as renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, could significantly hamper Pakistani mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran.

Revolutionary Guard call on Jordan's population to fight

In parallel, Iran's Revolutionary Guard called on Jordan's predominantly Muslim population to fight against the United States. In a statement disseminated on Saturday via Iranian media, it said: "Your religious and human duty is to put them out of action by all means and to cleanse the holy land of Jordan from the murderers of oppressed Muslims."

According to the Wall Street Journal, the background to the new series of attacks is the US goal of increasing pressure inside Iran through strikes on bridges and other domestic targets in order to force an end to Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with broad-scale counterattacks. The expert on Iranian security policy at the University of Tennessee, Saeid Golkar, warned: "This escalation is rapidly intensifying and spiraling out of control," and saw the danger of a relapse into total war, even though neither side wants this.