Fresh large-scale military tensions have erupted across the Middle East after the United States launched a new wave of airstrikes against Iran this Tuesday, with former President Donald Trump committing to reimpose a full naval blockade on Iran’s ports along the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The escalation has triggered immediate retaliatory strikes from Tehran against US allies and interests in the region, sending oil prices soaring and throwing previously agreed ceasefire negotiations into deep crisis.
The five-hour US airstrike operation targeted multiple sites across Iran, including key coastal locations in Bushehr and Bandar Abbas. US military officials stated the mission was designed to “degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping” in the strategically critical waterway, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supplies pass daily. An Agence France-Presse tally compiled from Iranian official statements and local media reports confirms that renewed US attacks launched over the past week have killed at least 28 people across Iran.
In direct response to the US strikes, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a coordinated barrage of missiles and drones targeting Bahrain, striking a residential building used by US forces alongside other infrastructure sites. Bahrain’s government confirmed it intercepted multiple “treacherous aerial attacks” launched from Iran, and accused Tehran of intentionally targeting civilian sites after explosions and air raid sirens sounded across the capital Manama. Tehran also expanded retaliatory strikes to another key US regional ally, Jordan, whose military announced it successfully shot down four Iranian missiles launched toward its territory. The IRGC noted its attacks specifically targeted US personnel stationed at a Jordanian air base, and issued a call for the Jordanian public to demand the permanent removal of what it described as “occupying American bases” from the country. Iran has long maintained that it only targets US interests across the Gulf region, but a military command spokesman clarified that any collaboration with Washington by Gulf states will be formally classified as “an act of war” moving forward.
Alongside the airstrikes, Trump formally notified US Congress last week that the US has resumed full-scale military conflict against Iran, a step the White House confirmed to AFP. This notification grants the Pentagon an automatic 60-day extension of military operations in the region without requiring explicit congressional approval. In addition to the Strait of Hormuz blockade, Trump issued an extraordinary new threat against Iran’s nuclear program: he warned the US would destroy Pickaxe Mountain, a deeply buried site near Natanz that Western intelligence agencies suspect hosts an undeclared uranium enrichment facility. In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump stated bluntly: “Tell the Iranians to be ready. Let them know we’re coming (and) there’s not a damn thing they can do about it.”
Trump’s blockade plan goes beyond cutting off Iranian ports: he announced the US will “take over” administration of the Strait of Hormuz and impose a 20% levy on all commercial cargo transiting the waterway. He wrote on his social platform Truth Social that the US would style itself “THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT”, and claimed that while Iranian ports would be closed to traffic, “all other countries will have fair and open use of the strait”. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to the proposal with sarcasm on social platform X, noting that Tehran agreed in principle that any entity guaranteeing safe passage should receive compensation, but argued 20% was far too high, quipping that Iran would charge a lower rate.
The immediate economic impact of rising tensions has already been felt in global energy markets: oil prices jumped more than 9% on Monday as investors priced in the risk of renewed conflict, and climbed a further 1% on Tuesday, extending losses for consumers and adding to global inflation pressures.
The Strait of Hormuz has been the central flashpoint in US-Iran tensions for months. Iran first imposed its own restrictions on traffic through the strait after joint US-Israel attacks in February, which prompted Washington to impose its initial blockade on Iran’s regional ports. Restrictions on both sides eased after the two parties reached a preliminary ceasefire agreement in June, which laid the groundwork for broader negotiations to end the conflict. However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed earlier this Monday that the June memorandum of understanding that forms the basis of peace talks is now “in crisis”. Baqaei warned that Iran would abandon its obligations under the deal if Washington did the same, but added that Tehran remains engaged in mediation talks with negotiators from Qatar, Pakistan and Oman to prevent further escalation.
Iran’s parliament has already begun drafting a new bill titled “the management of the Strait of Hormuz”, according to the head of the legislature’s security committee. Washington has long opposed any Iranian attempt to charge tolls for transit through the strait, a move that is generally prohibited under international law.
Despite the dramatic escalation of military action, Trump maintained Monday that a final deal to end the conflict with Iran remains achievable. Regional analysts warn that the escalation has significantly dimmed prospects for an imminent resolution. Bader Al-Saif, an associate fellow at the London-based think tank Chatham House, explained that the escalating exchanges of attacks will only delay progress toward a permanent peace agreement. “Both sides want to end the impasse on their own terms, and they are increasingly finding it difficult to do so,” he noted.
Maritime security officials added another layer of concern on Tuesday: the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported a second commercial tanker was struck by a missile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz near the Omani coast, marking the latest attack on commercial shipping in the waterway. The United Arab Emirates confirmed earlier that a recent Iranian strike on two commercial ships in the strait killed one crew member, bringing civilian casualties from the resumption of fighting into focus.