Iran has closed again the Strait of Hormuz after hitting a Cyprus-flagged ship and launching missiles at US bases in the Gulf, in response to Pentagon striking targets in Iran.
According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the incident occurred 9 nautical miles east of Oman. The ship carrying containers caught fire and the crew abandoned the vessel on lifeboats, later to be rescued by local authorities.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had earlier said they struck and stopped a vessel that ignored repeated instructions to use an approved shipping corridor, according to state news agency IRNA.
“Following this incident… the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice and until the end of American interventions in this region,” the Guards announced.
The US military said Tehran “blatantly attacked” a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. An Indian national crew member was missing and the vessel had been disabled by fire and damage to its engine room, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
US, Iran exchange strikes and threats
“In response, the United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait,” CENTCOM said on X.
CENTCOM said later the military had hit approximately 140 Iranian military targets as it finished the third round of strikes this week, carried out at the direction of US President Donald Trump. US defense secretary Pete Hegseth said simply: “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.”
Iran’s Guards later announced through state media that they had retaliated by striking US bases and radar sites in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar with ballistic missiles and drones.
The latest strikes came as Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed revenge for the killing of his father and predecessor, hours after Trump threatened severe reprisals in the event of any attempt on his life.
Trump has declared their ceasefire over while leaving the door open for talks, and mediators have been trying to salvage a diplomatic solution.
“Vengeance is the will of our nation and must inevitably be carried out,” Iran’s new supreme leader said in a written message.
Iran attacks Gulf states
According to Reuters, Central Command said US forces hit 140 Iranian military targets on Saturday. Iranian state media reported explosions in a number of port cities.
In response, the Guards said they had destroyed a command and control center and drone hangars at US ally Jordan, targeted a US radar site in Kuwait, attacked US aircraft carrier support and refueling platforms in Oman and destroyed a jet maintenance center and command facility in Qatar.
Qatar said three people, including a child, had been injured by falling shrapnel from the attack. Sunday’s attack on Qatar targeted a state whose mediation efforts have been central to attempts to broker a US-Iran ceasefire and Doha has previously said it would not act as a mediator so long as it was under attack.
The United Arab Emirates said its defense systems engaged missiles and drones from Iran, while warning sirens sounded in Bahrain and explosions were heard in Doha.
On Sunday, Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf posted on X: “The era of one-sided deals is OVER. We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking.”
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