Two oil tankers hit naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said, after the U.S. and Iran traded a fresh round of strikes across the region. Jordan and Bahrain reported intercepting Iranian attacks, while Brent crude and global bond yields jumped and Asian stocks sold off.
Tankers disabled in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said two oil tankers struck naval mines while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. The vessels were disabled and forced to disembark their crew after ignoring warnings to take an "illegal route" through the strait, the IRGC said in a statement carried by state media.
The IRGC separately said another two oil tankers were disabled after hitting mines in the strait, warning that shipping companies using unauthorized routes face further punitive measures. President Donald Trump said he was "not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table" as U.S. forces completed a fresh round of strikes against Iran on Tuesday.
Jordan and Bahrain intercept retaliatory strikes
U.S. Central Command said it struck Iranian air defense, communications and radar sites in retaliation against attempted attacks on commercial shipping and American service members. Iran then targeted Jordan, and the country's armed forces said 10 of 13 missiles were intercepted, with the remaining three landing in remote areas and no injuries reported.
Bahrain's armed forces said they intercepted and destroyed Iranian air strikes on Wednesday, after Bahrain's interior ministry earlier issued an alert over a potential threat. The exchange followed strikes on Sunday, the first between the two sides in about a month, after the Trump administration declared an "economic D-Day" on Iran's backers.
Oil and bond markets react
The strikes on shipping and infrastructure add to geopolitical risk across energy and bond markets.
Brent crude climbed to about $95.45 a barrel, a five-week high. Separate pricing put Brent near $94.85 and WTI at $90.17, up 7% and 8% respectively on the week.
The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield rose to 4.8122%, its highest in nearly three years, while Japan's 10-year government bond yield reached 3.015%, the highest in almost three decades. The MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan index fell 2%. South Korea's KOSPI dropped nearly 4%. Japan's Nikkei 225 declined 2.9% as well.
Sources: CNBC, InvestingLive, Crypto Briefing
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