As the US started a new round of strikes on military targets, Iran vowed to cut off other trade lines in the area.
The Strait of Hormuz will stay closed until the US stops its “acts of aggression,” according to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. They also threatened to shut down other local export routes for gas and oil.
Following another seven-hour operation overnight, the US military’s Central Command (Centcom) announced that it had conducted drone, air, and ship attacks on Iran on Wednesday morning.
The strategic significance of the Strait to the world economy has been highlighted by recent tensions between the United States and Iran.
Since tanker traffic via the crucial shipping channel has essentially stopped, the fresh attacks have also caused a dramatic increase in oil prices.
According to a statement from Centcom, the strikes on Wednesday morning “further degraded Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz”.
The CENTCOM officers also stated that Iran’s coastal defences and cruise missile launch and storage facilities on Greater Tunb Island were the targets of a 90-minute wave.
US President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iran’s power plants and bridges the following week if the nation did not resume negotiations on Tuesday.
Trump stated, “I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,” during a Tuesday night interview with Bret Baier on Special Report.
Trump’s statement that “massive” trade and investment agreements with Gulf governments would take the place of the 20% toll he had threatened to impose in the Strait of Hormuz sparked an increase in rhetoric.
At the time, UN human rights official Volker Türk condemned Trump’s April warning to bomb Iran’s civilian infrastructure, stating: “Under international law, deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure is a war crime.”
On Tuesday night, the United States reinstated its blockade of Iranian ports, preventing ships from passing through Iranian ports and coastal regions.
To put an end to the months-long battle, the two nations reached a memorandum of agreement last month, which included lifting the embargo.
But a major source of conflict is now a disagreement over the strait.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) cautioned the US to “expect the closure of other oil and gas export routes that serve the interests of the United States and its allies” in reaction to the US blockade’s renewal. It didn’t specify which routes would be impacted.
Iran’s army reportedly attacked US targets in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain separately, according to the country’s state-run TV.
Additionally, the US allies claimed to have intercepted Iranian missiles and drones.
Source: BBC News