U.S. and Iran trade strikes as Oman route challenges Hormuz control
Drone attacks and U.S. strikes continued despite a ceasefire extension, with Washington and Gulf partners backing an Oman route for ships.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
The United States and Iran are still exchanging attacks around the Strait of Hormuz even after agreeing to extend a ceasefire. The fighting matters because the waterway remains central to global energy shipments, and Washington is trying to move more vessels through an Oman-backed route that reduces Iran’s leverage.
Fortune reported that Iran launched drones at Bahrain on Saturday. Bahrain hosts a U.S. Navy base, and Fortune reported that Tehran was also likely behind an attack on a commercial ship.
U.S. Central Command said a day earlier that it had hit Iranian missile and drone sites, along with coastal radar positions. CENTCOM said the strikes were a response to earlier attacks on ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Institute for the Study of War said Iran appears to be using force to deter ships from taking channels outside Tehran’s preferred route. In a Friday note, the think tank said Iran is trying to win longer-term recognition from Gulf Arab states for its control over passage through the strait.
The U.S. has promoted an alternative path along Oman’s coast. Fortune reported that Washington said Saturday the route had been expanded to handle ships moving both into and out of the Gulf, a change that could help clear supplies that were stuck during the war.
Oman and the International Maritime Organization have also set up a process to help hundreds of vessels use the Omani coastal route, according to ISW. CENTCOM has said it is coordinating safe passage in the strait.
The diplomatic front has also widened. The U.S. and the Gulf Cooperation Council issued a joint statement Thursday backing free navigation through the strait and rejecting tolls, fees or other claims of control, according to Fortune.
ISW said Iran has answered those moves with drone attacks and warnings that safe passage cannot depend on parallel routes or decisions made outside Tehran. The think tank said Iran is also talking with Gulf neighbors as it seeks to solidify its position over the waterway.
That approach has limits, ISW said. The group said Iran needs Gulf states to recognize its control over its route because it cannot keep attacking ships indefinitely without risking more instability and retaliation.
The latest violence follows the first U.S.-Iran meeting since the ceasefire extension was signed, according to Fortune. Both sides described the talks as progress, but unresolved issues include Iran’s nuclear program, frozen Iranian assets, U.S. sanctions and the continuing fight over Hormuz.
The strait was closed soon after the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran, crippling global energy markets, Fortune reported. A return to normal shipping is expected to take months, and the U.S. has so far been able to move only a limited number of ships through while Iran keeps the threat of another closure over the global economy.
Tehran has also tried to formalize its authority by creating a Persian Gulf Strait Authority and asserting that it can charge ships fees, according to Fortune. On Saturday, the Joint Maritime Information Center raised the threat level in the strait to “substantial” from “moderate.”
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.