Report: Iran preserves missile production capacity despite US-Israeli strikes | LIVE BLOG
Russia also supplies Iran with missiles, a Western official says, as fighting in Yemen threatens another key shipping route
Iran preserved its missile and drone factories despite months of US-Israeli bombing, allowing it to replenish its arsenals during the current lull in fighting, Bloomberg reported on Saturdau. A Western official said Russia was also supplying Tehran with missiles, raising questions about the campaign’s success in weakening Iran’s military capabilities.
The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz continued as fighting intensified between Saudi-led forces and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, who fired missiles and drones at Saudi cities. The escalation also threatened shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, another vital route for global energy supplies.
Although oil and gas shipments through Hormuz moved closer to normal levels, energy prices remained elevated as a worsening global tanker shortage drove up transport costs. Bloomberg reported that hiring a tanker to carry oil from the US to China cost about $80 million, exceeding the $74 million price of a standard commercial rocket launch.