US launches more strikes on Iran as Hormuz ceasefire frays
CENTCOM said new attacks were ordered by President Trump after both Washington and Tehran accused each other of breaching a June truce.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
The United States military said it began a fresh round of attacks on Iran on Wednesday, deepening a crisis over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes mark the sharpest escalation since Washington and Tehran reached a mid-June memorandum that halted fighting and reopened the waterway, according to Al Jazeera.
US Central Command said on X that American forces were acting under President Donald Trump’s orders. CENTCOM said the operation was meant to reduce Iran’s ability to threaten free passage in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.
CENTCOM also said Washington was responding to what it called Iranian aggression against commercial ships and civilian crews. The statement followed another US round of attacks a day earlier, according to Al Jazeera.
Iran reports air defences in action
Iran’s Mehr News Agency reported shortly before the CENTCOM announcement that air defences were engaging what it called hostile targets near Bandar Abbas, a port city on the Strait of Hormuz. Mehr also reported explosions near Konarak, Chabahar and Bushehr.
Both governments have accused the other of violating the memorandum of understanding that ended the fighting in June. Under that agreement, the US naval blockade on Iran was lifted and the Strait of Hormuz was opened, while disputes over Iran’s nuclear programme and management of the strait were left for a 60-day negotiating period, according to Al Jazeera.
The immediate dispute centres on a clause saying Iran would use its “best efforts” to arrange safe passage for commercial vessels between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, without charge, for 60 days. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Wednesday that Tehran interprets that language as giving Iran responsibility for setting the arrangements for safe passage through the strait.
Al Jazeera reported that Iran has used that interpretation to justify attacks on vessels it had not approved for transit. The Trump administration, by contrast, says the agreement requires unrestricted passage for all vessels.
Trump says ceasefire is over
Trump said earlier Wednesday that the ceasefire was “over” after an exchange of attacks that included strikes by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, according to Al Jazeera. He also said he did not want a return to full-scale war and indicated talks could still go on.
Speaking at a NATO summit in Ankara, Trump threatened further action against Iran. Al Jazeera reported that he said the US could restore its naval blockade, strike Iranian electricity and water facilities, and possibly take over Kharg Island.
International law experts say attacks on electricity and water plants constitute war crimes, according to Al Jazeera. A US move to seize Kharg Island would almost certainly require ground forces, Al Jazeera reported.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.