Tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated significantly as the US military launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iranian targets, prompting Tehran to threaten the closure of additional regional trade routes. The US military's Central Command (Centcom) confirmed that it carried out air, drone, and naval strikes on Wednesday morning, following a separate seven-hour operation that took place overnight.
According to Centcom, the latest military actions were designed to further degrade Iran's capability to threaten commercial shipping within the Strait of Hormuz. Specifically, a 90-minute strike operation targeted Iranian coastal defenses, as well as cruise missile storage and launch facilities located on Greater Tunb Island. These renewed hostilities have caused tanker traffic through the critical shipping channel to nearly stall, leading to a sharp increase in global oil prices.
In response to the US actions, Iran's Revolutionary Guards declared that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States ends what they described as "acts of aggression." Furthermore, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that they might close other oil and gas export channels that serve the interests of the US and its allies, though they did not specify which routes might be impacted. This follows a renewed US blockade on Iranian ports implemented on Tuesday evening, which prohibits vessels from traveling to or from Iranian coastal areas.
Amid the escalating conflict, Iran's state-run broadcaster reported that the Iranian army conducted separate attacks on US targets in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain. US allies confirmed that they had successfully intercepted drones and missiles launched from Iran. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump issued a warning on Tuesday, stating that if Iran does not return to negotiations, he would target the country's bridges and power plants in the coming week. During an interview on "Special Report with Bret Baier," Trump remarked, "I'll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we'll hit energy targets."
This rhetoric follows a previous threat made by President Trump in April to bomb civilian infrastructure, which was criticized at the time by UN human rights chief Volker Türk. Türk stated that deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure constitutes a war crime under international law.
