US launches 12th night of strikes on Iran; Houthis attack Saudi oil tankers in Red Sea

The US military announced on Thursday evening that it had begun a 12th consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets under the direction of Donald Trump. US Central Command said the strikes would continue to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters.

Yemen's Houthis said on Wednesday they carried out missile and drone strikes on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea after declaring a maritime embargo on the kingdom amid the US war with Iran. The Houthis named the vessels as the Encelia and the Layla. The master of one tanker reported being struck by an unknown projectile about 70 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq, causing a fire that the crew was fighting, according to the British naval security monitor UKMTO.

Kuwait's army said its air defenses were responding to hostile drone threats amid "Iranian aggression," and that any explosion sounds heard were the result of attacks being intercepted.

Meanwhile, the US signed a landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that could allow the kingdom to enrich uranium. The US Department of Energy said on Wednesday its secretary and his Saudi counterpart signed a "peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement" along with a "bilateral safeguards agreement."