Reports: Iran fired a cruise missile in the Strait of Hormuz; Yemen's Houthis targeted Riyadh, disrupting airport operations
What happened
NBC News, citing three US officials, disclosed Monday, Sept. 28 that an Iranian anti-ship cruise missile struck a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Sept. 14, injuring eight US Marines (seven enlisted, one officer) with smoke inhalation and possible traumatic brain injuries; all returned to duty shortly after, and the Pentagon had never publicly announced it. The vessel was not a Navy ship — officials called it a "maritime vessel" with a battalion landing team aboard. In parallel, per Saudi Press Agency statements carried by the WSJ's Sept. 28 oil report, Houthi ballistic missiles and drones were launched toward Riyadh and Khamis Mushait; Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile toward Khamis Mushait on Saturday. This follows the Sept. 19 Houthi missile-and-drone attack on Riyadh that set a jet-fuel depot ablaze near King Khalid International Airport, triggering flight cancellations and terminal clearances.
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Who’s affected
- Oil majors Exxon Mobil (XOM), Chevron (CVX), ConocoPhillips (COP) — direct beneficiaries of the supply-disruption premium; tankers/shippers exposed to Hormuz transit risk. Airlines Delta (DAL), United (UAL), American (AAL) — fuel-cost risk and route disruptions near Riyadh airspace. Defense: Lockheed Martin (LMT), RTX, Boeing (BA) — interceptor demand and escalation-duration play. LNG: QatarEnergy-adjacent exposure — Qatar accounts for ~20% of global LNG trade and extended force majeure on cargoes for Italy's Adriatic terminal.