Middle East live: US launches new strikes on Iran as oil prices skyrocket
France 24 · LC · trust 48/100
By: FRANCE 24 The US military launched attacks on Iranian targets on July 22, 2026. © Centcom via AFP The United States launched a new series of strikes in Iran on Friday, while Iran-backed Houthi rebels opened a second front in the conflict, attacking Saudi tankers in the Red Sea and sending oil prices skyrocketing. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.
Tehran said on Friday that US President Donald Trump's threat to use frozen Iranian assets to pay for damage to ships and cargo was an "incendiary precedent".
"Seizing another nation's assets to pay for unrelated future claims is an incendiary precedent," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X.
Oil headed for weekly gains on Friday as Houthi attacks on tankers in the Red Sea raised fears over the disruption of a second major shipping chokepoint, while Kazakhstan temporarily cut output after its main export route was forced to shut.
Brent futures eased 72 cents, or 0.72 percent, to $99.97 a barrel as of 0126 GMT, but remained on course for a 13.5 percent gain this week. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures fell 70 cents, or 0.76 percent, to $91.49 a barrel, on track for a 10.9 percent weekly rise.
Brent settled up 7 percent and WTI rose 6.2 percent on Thursday, the first time since May that Brent closed above $100 a barrel after Iran-backed Houthis said they had struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.
The US military said late on Thursday it had completed its latest round of strikes on Iran, marking a 13th consecutive night of American attacks.
The latest wave of strikes lasted more than two hours, according to US Central Command.
Welcome to the FRANCE 24 liveblog covering events in the Middle East. You can catch up on yesterday's developments here .
• US President Donald Trump said the United States would hold Iran responsible for attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea by Houthi rebels , which sent oil prices soaring.
• The US House narrowly passed a resolution to halt US military action in Iran , sending a warning to President Trump for the second time as the future of the conflict remains uncertain and has already cost the US $37.5 billion .
• Trump set a new condition to a US-Saudi nuclear deal signed the previous day by insisting the agreement was "totally subject to" the Gulf kingdom joining the Abraham Accords and normalising relations with Israel .
© 2026 Copyright France 24 - All rights reserved. France 24 is not responsible for the content of external websites. Audience ratings certified by ACPM. ACPM
Read the original at France 24 →
Open in TruthVane →