The United States has launched fresh strikes on “multiple targets” in Iran on President Donald Trump’s orders, in an escalation that prompted Tehran to declare the Strait of Hormuz closed to “all types of vessels”.
The US military said the strikes late on Wednesday were “in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression”, as Iranian state media reported explosions on Qeshm Island and in the cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik along the Strait of Hormuz.
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Blasts also hit the southern city of Kargan, wounding at least two people.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accused the US of “repeated violations” of their April ceasefire, and said the Strait of Hormuz was “closed until further notice”.
It said all traffic in the vital waterway, including oil tankers and commercial vessels, would be affected, and firmly rejected the US’s previous claims that it had helped ships pass through the strait.
The IRGC subsequently added that “two oil tankers attempting to illegally pass through the strait were hit”.
The escalation comes a day after the US and Iran exchanged tit-for-tat strikes over the downing of a US Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier, Trump said the US would hit Iran “very hard”.
“We’ll see what happens with the deal. We were really close to a deal. But they keep stringing us along. They keep playing us for suckers because you know what? They dealt with some very stupid presidents. I have to say that I’m embarrassed to say it,” he told reporters at the White House.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian slammed Trump’s threat in a post on X.
“Critical infrastructures are the lifeblood of the people. Threats to target them – from transportation networks to the electricity and water industries – are not a show of strength but a sign of desperation in the face of a nation’s will,” he wrote.
“Iran, relying on the knowledge and capabilities of its specialists, national unity, and solidarity, will stand firm against any pressure or threat,” he added.
<small>Source: Al Jazeera</small>
