Iran vows to block Gulf oil until bombing stops

Iran vowed on Tuesday that not one litre of oil would be exported from the Gulf while the United States and Israel continue their bombardment, as the United Arab Emirates closed its biggest oil refinery after a drone attack.

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Smoke plumes billow from the site of airstrikes near Azadi Tower in western Tehran on Tuesday.

(AFP)

Oil prices have surged since Iranian attacks on shipping closed the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of US-Israeli strikes that killed Tehran's supreme leader but fell back somewhat on Monday when US President Donald Trump suggested the war would soon end.

The price began to rise again Tuesday amid more threats and violence, following a week of attacks on oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and around the Gulf.

The region's biggest single-site oil refinery, at Ruwais in the UAE, was closed on Tuesday as a precaution after a drone attack on the industrial complex which houses it caused a fire, a source familiar with the situation told AFP.

"The Strait of Hormuz will either be a strait of peace and prosperity for all or will be a strait of defeat and suffering for warmongers," Iran's security chief Ali Larijani declared.

The price increase also followed strikes on oil depots in Iran and after attacks on oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and around the Gulf, which continued on Tuesday, with explosions heard in Doha.

Qatar, where a suspension of LNG exports has sent European energy prices sky-high, said Iranian attacks on its civilian infrastructure were continuing.

The Israeli military announced meanwhile a new wave of attacks on Tehran, while the US also stepped up its air and missile assault.

"Today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran," Defense Secretary Pete Hgeseth told a news conference at the Pentagon.