The US carried out another round of strikes on Iran on Wednesday night, hours after president Donald Trump said that recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signalled the end of the ceasefire.
Military officials said in a social media post that the strikes were intended to “further degrade” Iran’s ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait.
The action comes just a day after the US military hit a variety of military sites and port facilities following Iran’s targeting of several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman.
The social media post said that the US “is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway”.
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Iranian state media reported explosions, including in the port city of Bandar Abbas on the strait and in Sirik, another southern coastal city.
Earlier, Trump renewed his past threats to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including electric plants and desalinisation plants, and to seize the oil production hub of Kharg Island.
“We hit them very hard last night,” Trump said when asked about a possible return to hostilities. “We’ll probably hit them hard again tonight.”
Speaking on the sidelines of a Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump said the strikes are continued retaliation for Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
“They are behaving very badly,” he said of Iran, accusing the country of launching drones and a missile at ships.
After three tankers were hit on Tuesday, the US launched strikes on Iran, and Iranian forces retaliated by attacking American military sites in the Gulf.
[ No strait answer as US and Iran are stuck in cycle of strikesOpens in new window ]
The latest exchange of fire raised fears that the war in Iran could reignite, and Trump fuelled those concerns by saying the interim agreement to pause fighting was “over”, although he added that he would allow negotiations to continue.
Attacks have repeatedly threatened the ceasefire, but Trump’s comments added new uncertainty and oil prices shot up after he spoke. A renewed conflict could engulf the wider Middle East and would likely again halt energy shipments through the strait that are crucial to the global economy.
“For me, I think it’s over,” Trump said when asked about the status of the ceasefire. He added that US representatives can continue negotiations, but he cast doubt on the outcome.
“They can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time,” he said.
Trump has threatened to seize Kharg Island at previous points in the war, including last month. Some 90 per cent of Iranian oil exports pass through the island.
The renewed attacks on ships in the strait, despite the negotiations, could reflect a divide among Iran’s leadership.
Hardliners seek lasting control over the waterway, which is a globally important conduit for fuel shipments and has become a critical lever in confronting the West. Pragmatists want a permanent peace deal to lift international sanctions and provide desperately needed economic relief.
Negotiations to reach a final deal had been due to start after the multiday funeral for Iran’s former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28th in the war’s first moments. The funeral, which ends on Thursday, was supposed to be a period of lower tensions.
The talks are meant to focus on the toughest matters, including fully reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.
Iran’s ability to bring shipping in the waterway to a near halt during the war proved its greatest strategic advantage. Rising prices for energy supplies, fertiliser and food put pressure on the US to make a deal.
On Wednesday, the price of Brent crude, the international standard, spiked more than 5 per cent after Trump’s comments.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including in Bandar Mahshahr, where a Revolutionary Guard member was killed. It also reported attacks on Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant complex.
On Wednesday morning, both Bahrain, home to the US navy’s 5th Fleet, and Kuwait, home to US army forces, sounded missile alerts. The Revolutionary Guard issued a statement acknowledging targeting US military installations in both countries.
After the Iranian strikes on shipping, the US revoked a licence that – for the first time in years – had allowed Iran to conduct oil sales openly in US dollars, as part of the interim deal. Iran long had been suspected of selling sanctioned crude at below-market prices to China.
Iran and the US agreed as part of the interim deal to allow ships to pass through the strait without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran has insisted it must control the vessels’ routes and vowed to later charge fees for passage.
That would upend decades of practice in the waterway. The ships attacked on Tuesday all appeared to be using a route close to Oman’s shore, rather than one ordered by Tehran.
The US and many Gulf Arab states say they will not agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait. – AP
