Iran conflict latest: Saudi Arabia, UAE reportedly mulling joining war on Iran

Missile strikes reportedly hit areas across the Middle East on Tuesday, while two major Persian Gulf countries are reportedly considering joining the fight against Iran, after the U.S. and Tehran offered contrasting accounts of whether potential negotiations over halting the nearly month-old war have taken place.

Authorities in Israel said a barrage of missiles from Iran struck Tel Aviv and other parts of the country, the New York Times reported.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have been targeted by drone and missile strikes, while Israel said it had struck targets linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Crucially, the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway south of Iran through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passes, has remained all but shuttered to tanker traffic. The effective closure of the strait has become a major flashpoint in the joint U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran, crimping the flow of the critical supplies to countries around the world, especially heavy energy importers in Asia.

Both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose economies depend in large part on energy shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, are now edging toward entering the fight against Iran, the WSJ has reported.

Citing people familiar with a Saudi decision to allow U.S. forces to use an air base on the western side of the Arabian Peninsula, the paper noted that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is close to deciding to join in the attacks. The UAE is also beginning to crack down on Iranian-owned assets, the WSJ said.