Three ships in Strait of Hormuz hit by 'unknown projectiles'

Three cargo vessels have been hit by "unknown projectiles" in the Strait of Hormuz, maritime authorities say, as pressure intensifies on one of the world's most important shipping lanes.

Traffic through the strait - a vital corridor for oil - has fallen sharply since Israel and the US attacked Iran in late February, sending global energy prices soaring.

Iran said it unleashed another volley of retaliatory attacks across the Gulf on Wednesday, with targets including a major oilfield in Saudi Arabia and drones falling near Dubai International Airport.

Earlier, the US said it had "eliminated" 16 ships capable of laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

There have been 13 suspected Iranian attacks on vessels operating around the Gulf since the war began.

On Wednesday, Thailand's navy said it was providing emergency assistance after a Thai-flagged vessel was hit 11 nautical miles north of Oman, causing a fire on board. In a statement, the Royal Thai Navy said the ship's 23 crew members were being rescued.

Meanwhile, a Japan-flagged container ship sustained minor damage after it was struck 46km (around 25 nautical miles) off the United Arab Emirates coast, maritime security firm Vanguard told the BBC.

And a third cargo vessel was hit 93km (around 50 nautical miles) north-west of Dubai, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.

The cause of the attacks is being investigated.

The UKMTO has urged all ships passing through the area to "transit with caution".

Following the attacks on Wednesday, Tehran said it would "not allow even a single litre of oil" heading for the US, Israel and their partners to pass through the strait.

In a video statement broadcast on state television, spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari said: "Any vessel or tanker bound to them will be a legitimate target.

"Get ready for the oil barrel to be at $200 because the oil price depends on the regional stability which you have destabalised."

US President Donald Trump has previously warned Iran of unprecedented military consequences if it mined the strait to stop Gulf oil passing through it.

"If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far," he wrote on his Truth Social platform earlier this week.

Trump has also said the US military could accompany tankers through the strait, although his administration acknowledged that a post by the energy secretary announcing a first such escort was inaccurate.

About 20% of the world's oil usually passes through the strait and the war has severely reduced sea traffic, causing global oil prices to spike.

Oil prices surged close to $120 a barrel after the US-Israel war with Iran began, before easing to around $87 - nearly 20% higher than before the conflict.

Following a meeting with G7 nations on Tuesday, the International Energy Agency announced the "largest ever" release of 400m barrels of oil from countries' reserves in a bid to stabilise the global oil market.

On Wednesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched missile attacks on the US bases of Al Udeid in Qatar, Camp Arifjan in Kuwait and Harir in Iraq.

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB described the barrage as the "most devastating and heaviest operation" since the beginning of the war, citing a statement from the IRGC.

US officials are yet to comment on the strikes.

Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted six ballistic missiles aimed at Prince Sultan Air Base and a seventh heading towards the country's east. It said it had also intercepted two drones heading towards an oil field.

The IRGC said at least two missiles targeted a US base in Kuwait, according to Iranian news agencies Fars and Mehr. Kuwati authorities have not yet commented on the reports.

Four people were also injured after two drones fell near Dubai International Airport, authorities said, the second time the airport has been impacted in five days.

Officials said air traffic is operating as normal. A passenger at the airport told the BBC that travellers had been advised to move away from the glass windows and take shelter in more protected areas.

Oman's state news agency said that a drone had been shot down over the country and another had fallen into the sea.

Elsewhere in the region, Israel's military said it had detected a new wave of missiles launched from Iran, targeting cities including Tel Aviv and Haifa, and that it had launched a "wide-scale wave" of strikes targeting regime infrastructure in Iran.

Earlier in the day, BBC journalists reported a strike on an apartment building in Aisha Bakkar, a residential area of central Beirut.

The IDF said it had struck a number of Hezbollah targets that were command centres and weapon stores in the Dahieh suburb of Beirut on Wednesday morning, but made no mention of the strike in Aisha Bakkar.

Lebanon's health ministry said on Wednesday that seven people were killed and 23 injured following strikes on villages in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.

The ministry said that 570 people have been killed since Israeli strikes began on 2 March, in response to Hezbollah firing rockets from Lebanon into Israel.