Morning update

Good Morning Middle East Eye readers, key developments from across the region and beyond include Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy reporting a supertanker struck by a sea mine while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, with over 2 million barrels of crude oil on board. US President Donald Trump asserts the US Navy has effectively blocked Iranian ships from passing through the same strait.

Yemen's government-aligned forces confirmed 378 Houthi fighters were killed or wounded in clashes and air attacks in Taiz governorate, while Saudi-led coalition forces claimed destruction of two Houthi missile launchers in northern Saada governorate. UK Maritime Trade Operations reported a tanker struck by an unknown projectile, 68 nautical miles northeast of Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian farmers in the village of Deir Jarir, east of Ramallah. The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advised British citizens against all but essential travel to Saudi Arabia. Pakistani finance minister voiced concerns over attacks on infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.

Houthi shelling and sniper fire killed a woman and injured five civilians in Sabir al-Mawadim district, southeast of Taiz. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian called the ecosystem destruction caused by armed conflicts an act of ecocide. Three US lawmakers urged the Trump administration to hold Israeli settlers accountable for an attack on a Washington Post photographer and Palestinian villagers.

Over half of minors in Israeli prisons in 2025 were placed in solitary confinement at least once, mostly Palestinian children. UKMTO struggled to determine the true number of attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, with most vessels refusing to report incidents. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated the war on Iran has cost Europeans over 100 billion euros.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported an increase in settler attacks in the West Bank affecting the olive harvest season, surpassing last year's numbers. Israeli officials were placed under investigation in Italy for the treatment of Gaza flotilla activists.