The U.S. military said on Wednesday that it was launching fresh strikes on Iran aimed at keeping the critical Strait of Hormuz open to traffic, hours after President Donald Trump declared that an interim agreement to end the war with Iran was "over."
The latest exchange of strikes has rattled a shaky ceasefire agreement and dented hopes of turning the memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 into a permanent peace deal to end the war © Mena Today
The U.S. military said on Wednesday that it was launching fresh strikes on Iran aimed at keeping the critical Strait of Hormuz open to traffic, hours after President Donald Trump declared that an interim agreement to end the war with Iran was "over."
In a flare-up that sent oil prices up about 7%, Iran said on Wednesday it had struck U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, triggering U.S. retaliatory strikes. The escalation had been triggered by Iran's attacks on Tuesday on three cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
"At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," U.S. Central Command wrote in a post announcing Wednesday's fresh round of strikes on X.
"The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway."
Control of the strait, through which a fifth of global oil supplies pass, has given Tehran immense leverage, effectively allowing it to force a stalemate with the world's most powerful military. While Iran has not claimed responsibility for the attacks, analysts say Tehran uses such actions to underscore that leverage as it negotiates a long-term peace deal with the U.S.
The latest exchange of strikes has rattled a shaky ceasefire agreement and dented hopes of turning the memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 into a permanent peace deal to end the war, which began with U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on February 28.
"If we make a deal with Iran I'm not sure that will stick," Trump had said during a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday where he was attending a summit of the NATO military alliance. "I found them to be very dishonourable people."
But Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to escalate military action before backing off, said he did not expect a return to full-fledged war, and that it was not clear whether the negotiations on reaching a permanent deal would continue.
By Humeyra Pamuk, Gram Slattery and Tala Ramadan
Two French diplomats at the centre of a dispute between France and Iran were not ill-treated by Iranian security personnel, according to an Iranian foreign ministry official quoted by state media on Wednesday.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday the United States is still willing to negotiate an end to the Iran crisis but Tehran is not serious about talks, as the widening conflict disrupted two of the world's most critical energy chokepoints.
Two oil tankers carrying Saudi crude to Asia reversed course in the Red Sea on Tuesday after threats from Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, as a widening Middle East conflict disrupted shipping through two of the world's most critical energy chokepoints.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.