Iran sinks two ships in Strait of Hormuz as Houthis ‘days’ from taking Yemen’s Taiz

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Iran has sunk two cargo vessels in under 24 hours in the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the war began in March. On today’s episode of Iran: the Latest, Venetia Rainey speaks to chief foreign affairs commentator David Blair about why Tehran is expanding its pace of attacks. So far the US has avoided a military response but how long can that last? Meanwhile, news that US President Donald Trump is considering using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb - aka the “mother of all bombs”. Plus, the Iran-backed Houthis have encircled Yemen’s Taiz and are on the cusp of taking the strategic city for the first time in the war in what would be a major blow to Saudi Arabia. Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen, a Yemeni senior researcher from the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, explains why the Houthis are so desperate to capture Taiz as a stepping-stone to oil-rich Marib and port city Aden and how it could take just “days” to fall. With around a million people trapped inside and news of food and medicine shortages, a humanitarian disaster is looming and Iran’s proxy group is on the brink of a major victory. Highlights • Iran sinks two ships in Strait of Hormuz as attacks e