US envoy says a strike on Iran could come this weekend as oil passes $117
Washington's warnings grew sharper on Friday, Tehran threatened Gulf oil sites and undersea cables, and Brent crude hit its highest level since April.
The United States could strike Iran again as soon as this weekend, US envoy Tom Barrack said on Friday. Asked in an interview whether an attack could happen in the coming days, Barrack, Washington's ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, answered: "Absolutely", while adding that President Donald Trump remained open to a deal. Trump himself said the US might carry out "another little Epic Fury", a reference to the name of the earlier military operation, and Iran replied with a warning not to "play with fire".
Talks between Washington and Tehran have stalled almost eight months after the war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Trump has said repeatedly that he will soon take a "decision" on Iran and had previously suggested nothing would happen before the US midterm elections on 3 November.
Tehran has said it would hit oil facilities, undersea cables, data centres and AI facilities in the Gulf if a new US-Israeli offensive is launched. Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose about 3.5% on Friday to pass $117 a barrel at one point, its highest level since April, before easing to just over $116. It traded around $72 in February, before the war, and peaked near $126 at the end of April.
Tension in the region has been rising all week: Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they struck four commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, Houthi rebels in Yemen have stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia, and the US State Department has told some diplomats and the families of government staff to leave the kingdom.