Trump Eyes Massive Strike: Saudi Tankers Bombed
15 trillion defense bill faces resistance in the Senate, per The Guardian.
Donald Trump is weighing a large-scale military strike against Iran after Houthi forces in Yemen attacked two Saudi oil tankers crossing the Red Sea, according to The Independent — an escalation that pushed Brent crude above $100 a barrel for the first time since May and sent US Treasury yields to their highest levels of 2026.
The Houthis, operating under their self-declared maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, claimed responsibility for both strikes. The attacks landed at a moment when the White House is already conducting military operations inside Iran, and the question now is whether Trump moves from targeted strikes to something categorically larger.
In Washington, the response split along unexpected lines. The House of Representatives passed a war powers resolution for the second time, with four Republicans crossing the aisle to vote for limits on Trump's authority to expand the conflict — a rebuke that carries weight even as the $1.15 trillion defense bill faces resistance in the Senate, per The Guardian.
The economic consequences are accumulating faster than the diplomatic ones. Oil above $100 feeds directly into inflation expectations, and markets are now pricing in the possibility that the Federal Reserve raises rates in response — a scenario that would send borrowing costs higher across every economy still recovering from the last rate cycle.
The Red Sea has become the war's most consequential front: not a battlefield in the traditional sense, but a chokepoint where energy prices, global shipping, and great-power credibility all converge.
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*By Isla Camilleri, Global Affairs & Lifestyle Editor — News Beast by FreeMalta.com*
