Hormuz under US iron grip as India hauls in Iran’s Deputy Envoy over citizen’s death
Tehran/Washington/New Delhi: The US, claiming control of the Strait of Hormuz, said that a blockade will now be imposed there. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the third phase of attacks in Iran has been completed. Iran has confirmed explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas, Kish, Qeshm, and Abu Musa islands.
Trump told Congress that military action in Iran has resumed. Tehran has attacked regional US allies and said that it damaged two tankers. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said that Iranian missiles targeted its tankers in the Omani sea. One crew member was killed in the attack. The injured sailor was identified as an Indian citizen. Meanwhile, India summoned Iran’s Deputy Chief of Mission over the death of its sailor in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to reports from CNN, CBS News, and Al Jazeera, Centcom stated that this was the third night of attacks. US forces struck several areas in Iran, targeting Iranian coastal defense systems as well as missile and drone sites. Iranian media reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas and the islands of Kish, Qeshm, and Abu Musa. Trump stated that the ceasefire with Iran had broken. Trump told Congress that military action in Iran had resumed. Centcom stated that the naval blockade of Iranian ports would resume at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday.
The US-Iran military confrontation has escalated regional tensions. There have been recent attacks between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Trump stated in an interview with Newsmax that the US controls the Strait of Hormuz. Iran is trying to control this waterway and is attacking ships that disobey it. The president said on Monday that the US would become the “guardian angel” of the Strait of Hormuz and charge for passage through it. However, Iran has not ruled out the possibility of charging tolls itself, and several shipping companies paid tolls to Iran earlier this year.
Trump also reiterated that he has yet to implement a plan to reimpose the US blockade on Iranian ports. He said the US would only restrict the passage of ships from Iran and countries trading with it. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said a tanker was reportedly hit by a missile while passing southeast of Oman’s Limah region. Officials are investigating the incident.
According to tanker trackers, Iran has shipped 80 million barrels of oil in the past 26 days, currently valued at $6 billion. The organization said that Iran is waiting for millions of barrels of oil to be shipped. “Now that the US naval blockade is being reimposed more than a month ahead of schedule, it appears that Iran will no longer be able to ship approximately 30 million barrels of crude oil,” the tracking group said.
Bahrain says it thwarted several Iranian attacks today. The General Command of the Bahrain Defense Force said that Iran is blatantly violating international humanitarian law by deliberately using missiles and drones to target Bahraini civilians and private property. According to Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad, Iran’s oil exports are continuing as normal despite the revocation of a 60-day waiver from US oil sanctions last week. He said, “As usual, the US broke its promise and violated Article 10 of the Memorandum of Understanding regarding the 60-day waiver.”
Strategic experts say that, practically speaking, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been broken. Attacks have occurred on Konarak, Chabahar, Qeshm, Abu Musa Island, and Kish Island. Kish Island is a tourist destination in Iran, visited during the summer. Omidiyeh, Bushehr, and Bandar Abbas have also been targeted. Kish Island and Bandar Abbas have been frequent targets of the US. Both locations are strategically important to Iran, as they offer easy surveillance of the Strait of Hormuz. Therefore, the US is attacking these two locations.
In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has attacked US military assets, fuel tanks, and other assets in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait. A missile alert siren sounded in Bahrain this morning, where the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet is based. Iran has also targeted two tankers from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Iran says commercial ships should use a separate lane near the Iranian coast and seek permission from Iranian authorities. Iran has not publicly commented on the attacks.
The UAE’s Defense Ministry said one crew member was killed and eight others were injured when Iranian cruise missiles struck two oil tankers. The tankers were transiting through Mombasa and Al Bahiya (the southern shipping lane of the strait), off the coast of Oman. According to the UAE, the six crew members killed and injured were Indian citizens, and two of the injured were Ukrainians. The ships were also damaged in the fire.
