00:00Dozens of countries sought ways to restart vital energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz
00:05as U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran treated escalating threats,
00:10driving oil prices sharply higher, and deepening anxiety across global markets.
00:15In a social media post on Thursday, Trump warned Tehran to make a deal before it is too late,
00:20and shared what he claimed to be a video of a U.S. strike on a newly constructed bridge
00:25linking Tehran to the northwestern suburb of Qairaj.
00:28This eyewitness footage shows smoke rising from the B-1 highway bridge.
00:33Iranian state media said the unfinished bridge was hit on Thursday,
00:37killing eight people and wounding dozens.
00:40Iran's foreign minister condemned the attack,
00:42saying the strikes on civilian infrastructure would not force Iran to surrender.
00:46We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.
00:51In a speech the night before, Trump repeated threats against Iran's civilian power plants
00:56and said U.S. forces would intensify operations over the coming weeks,
01:00drawing vows of retaliation from Tehran.
01:03Nearly five weeks into the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran,
01:06the conflict is spreading instability across the region.
01:10Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted a fifth of the world's global oil
01:14and liquefied natural gas trade.
01:16Britain's foreign minister Yvette Cooper chaired talks with around 40 countries
01:21on restoring freedom of navigation.
01:23We have seen Iran hijack an international shipping route to hold the global economy hostage.
01:31But diplomats say no agreement has been reached.
01:34Iran, meanwhile, warns the Strait could remain closed long term to the United States and Israel.
01:39The standoff has sent oil prices soaring.
01:42U.S. crude jumped more than 11 percent Thursday,
01:45while Brent surged nearly 8 percent as traders priced in prolonged supply disruptions.
01:51One analyst warned prices could climb above $150 a barrel if shipping is not restored soon.
01:58Attention is now turning to the United Nations,
02:01where the Security Council is set to vote on a Bahrain-backed resolution
02:04to protect commercial shipping in the Strait.
02:07Yet veto-wielding China has made it clear
02:10its opposition to authorizing any use of force.
02:14It's opposition to authorizing any use of force.
Comments