US attacks Iran again – Strait of Hormuz closed

 

TT

 

Published 01:18Updated 09:38

  

Commercial ships at the Strait of Hormuz in late June. Photo: Amirhosein Khorgooi/AP/TT

The US has launched new attacks on Iran, which is responding with attacks on several countries in the region.

The clashes occur after Iran's Revolutionary Guard announced that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed "until further notice".

"We warned you", writes Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on X.

In Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, sirens have sounded in the morning as the countries' air defenses have defended themselves against Iranian attacks.

Authorities in Qatar say that three people, including a child, have been injured as a result of shrapnel from downed Iranian missiles.

American targets in Jordan and Oman have also been attacked, state Iranian media reports.

The Revolutionary Guard in Iran also claims that a ship in the Strait of Hormuz – the second in just a few hours – was hit after it “violated the rules” in the strait.

The Iranian attacks are described as a response to the US attack wave last night, the third this week. On the orders of President Donald Trump, the military command Centcom claims to have targeted 140 Iranian military targets, which in turn is said to be a response to the damage to a Cyprus-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran subsequently declaring the waterway closed.

“Illegal route”

“Iran made a bad decision. Now they will pay,” wrote US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on X during the night.

According to the statement of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, the waterway was closed after a ship that had taken an “illegal route” was stopped with warning shots. The strait will remain closed until “the US interventions in the region are ended,” according to Iranian state media.

“We warned you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking,” writes chief negotiator and speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on X, referring to point five of the US agreement, which stipulates that Iran will be responsible for the “arrangements” in the Strait of Hormuz.

American deadline

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Oman on Saturday for talks about the Strait of Hormuz and how it should be managed.

In connection with this, reports came from the AP that the US has demanded that Iran make a public statement declaring the strategic strait open and promising to refrain from further attacks on ships in the area.

According to sources to several media outlets, the US set Saturday as the deadline for such a statement.