US launches fresh Iran strikes after ship attacks in Strait of Hormuz

The United States has opened a new round of military strikes against Iran, sharply escalating tensions around the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump said an interim understanding with Tehran was effectively finished.

US Central Command said its forces had begun additional strikes to weaken Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes. Washington framed the operation as a response to attacks on commercial vessels travelling through the waterway.
 

The latest strikes came after three cargo ships were attacked while transiting the strait on Tuesday. A US official told Reuters that Wednesday’s operation would involve more strikes than the previous day’s action.
 

Trump, writing on Truth Social, described the US response as retaliation for the ship attacks and warned that any repeat would bring a stronger response.

Iran has not claimed responsibility for the attacks on the vessels. However, the latest escalation has further damaged hopes that a memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 could become a permanent settlement to end the conflict.

Iran said on Wednesday it had struck US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, calling the action a response to earlier US attacks on infrastructure. Those earlier US strikes were also linked by Washington to the attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Asked before a NATO summit in Turkey whether the memorandum with Iran was still alive, Trump replied that he believed it was over and said he did not want further dealings with Tehran.

Even so, the US president later suggested he did not expect a return to a full-scale war. He said any further escalation would be dealt with quickly and argued that the outcome would improve security, including for oil supplies.

The new US attacks hit several locations along Iran’s southern coast, according to Iranian state-linked media. Reported strike areas included Bandar Abbas, Iran’s largest port city and a major naval and Revolutionary Guards hub, as well as Konarak and Chabahar. Iranian media also reported power disruption and damage to a maritime traffic control tower in Chabahar.

Explosions were also reported in Iranshahr, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency.

The Strait of Hormuz has become central to the conflict because of its role in global energy flows. Before the war began with US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on February 28, about one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies passed through the strait, giving Tehran significant leverage over energy markets and maritime security.

The renewed confrontation also fed into oil market concerns. Brent crude rose by more than US$1 a barrel in post-settlement trading after the latest strikes, reaching US$79.28 a barrel, although prices remained far below their late-April peak of more than US$120.

Iranian officials and security-linked media signalled that further retaliation remained possible. Nournews, which is affiliated with Iran’s top security body, cited an Iranian military source as saying Tehran was preparing a major response against US Army bases in the region.

Before the latest US strikes, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei accused Washington of violating the June memorandum, arguing that the US action challenged Iran’s role in determining arrangements for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

A spokesperson for Iran’s parliament National Security Commission also said possible retaliation options included withdrawing from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, changing Iran’s nuclear doctrine and closing the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, another key maritime route at the mouth of the Red Sea.