The United States has launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran’s coastal defence systems and missile sites after reimposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports, further escalating tensions between the two countries as Tehran threatened to disrupt more regional energy exports.
The latest attacks mark another escalation in the battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that previously handled about one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments, raising fresh concerns over regional security and global energy supplies.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the U.S. military said the operation began at 6:00 a.m. ET (1100 GMT) and targeted military assets allegedly used by Iranian forces to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The strikes are designed to further degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” U.S. Central Command said.
Iran’s Mehr News Agency reported that U.S. projectiles struck a location on Hengam Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to U.S. Central Command, the operation targeted coastal defence systems as well as cruise missile storage and launch facilities on Greater Tunb Island, with the strikes completed in about 90 minutes.
The latest operation followed seven hours of U.S. strikes on Tuesday, during which Washington said it hit dozens of military targets along the Strait of Hormuz and other Iranian coastal areas.
In retaliation, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had launched strikes on U.S. military targets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
The IRGC also warned that Iran could block additional regional energy export routes, declaring that the United States “must brace for the closure of all other export corridors that benefit the U.S. and its allies.”
The renewed hostilities have further undermined an interim ceasefire agreement reached last month, which was expected to pave the way for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and a permanent truce.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said Tehran had no immediate plans to resume talks.
“We have no plans for negotiations at the moment and are focused on defence,” Baghaei was quoted as saying by Tasnim News Agency.
He argued that the interim ceasefire imposed mutual obligations on both sides and maintained that Iran would not honour its commitments as long as the United States continued to violate the agreement.
Fighting intensified after Iran announced late on Saturday that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz. The United States has accused Tehran of attacking seven commercial vessels over the past week, leaving several crew members dead, injured or missing.