USA and Iran: Conflict over the Strait of Hormuz escalates

Iran war

USA and Iran: Conflict over the Strait of Hormuz escalates

The US military is attacking Iran for the third time in a week. The trigger was Iranian shelling of a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. A diplomatic solution is becoming more distant.

The conflict about the Strait of Hormuz comes to a head after mutual attacks USA and des Iran dangerous again. For the third time in a week, the US military bombed targets along Iran’s southern coast. In response, Iran’s armed forces attacked US targets Jordan and the Gulf states and declared the strait closed again. Talks on a diplomatic solution for the future management of the strait ended without a breakthrough on Saturday.

During the night, the US military said it attacked around 140 military positions in Iran with fighter jets, drones and warships. The targets included missile sites, ammunition depots and coastal surveillance and communications infrastructure, according to the regional command responsible for the region (Centcom). A total of more than 300 targets were attacked this week. The US military cited Iranian attacks on commercial shipping as the reason for the bombings.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ naval force defended its military operation in the strait. “At the instigation of foreign powers,” several ships traveled an “unauthorized route,” according to a statement broadcast by state radio. A ship that had switched off its tracking systems was then hit by a warning shot and stopped, it said. The British authority UKMTO reported that the crew of a container ship had disembarked and been rescued after a fire.

In response to the US attacks, Iran’s armed forces said they attacked, among other things, a military air base in Jordan with missiles. A logistics center for US warships was attacked in Oman. The regular armed forces also fired kamikaze drones at targets in Kuwait and Bahrain. The Gulf states, for their part, reported attacks with drones and missiles, but some gave the all-clear again a few hours later.

US President Donald Trump Meanwhile, contrary to Iranian statements, declared the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping traffic. The US regional command Centcom, which is responsible for the region, also wrote in a post on the X platform that the strait, which is important for trade, remains an international waterway that Iran does not control.

representatives from Washington and Tehran agreed on a framework agreement in mid-June that is intended to pave the way for a permanent end to the war. It was agreed to negotiate a final deal within 60 days. It also includes a call for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened. A ceasefire has also been in effect since the beginning of April. Nevertheless, new attacks continued to occur. From Trump’s perspective, the ceasefire is over.

Shortly after the start of the Iran War, the strait, which is important for global energy trade, proved to be an effective means of pressure for the leadership in Tehran. With threats and attacks, Iran had effectively brought traffic to a standstill. The restricted shipping caused energy prices to rise and at the same time increased domestic political pressure on the US President.