Strait of Hormuz crisis deepens as US, Iran exchange fresh strikes

The United States carried out fresh strikes on Iranian military targets on Thursday, while Iran responded with attacks on US allies in the Gulf, as fighting over the Strait of Hormuz entered its sixth day despite a preliminary agreement reached in June to end the conflict.

The Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas shipments, has remained at the centre of the renewed conflict. Iran insists it controls the waterway, which has become a major point of tension in the latest round of fighting.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces struck Iranian military targets at several locations, including the coastal city of Bandar Abbas, to “degrade Iran’s ability to threaten innocent mariners” in the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM added that earlier operations targeted coastal defence systems and cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island in the Gulf.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported explosions in several parts of the country on Thursday, including Lorestan in western Iran and Semnan in the north. Air defence systems were also activated in parts of Tehran.

Shortly after the strikes, US allies in the Gulf reported attacks. Kuwait said it intercepted Iranian drones, while Bahrain activated air raid sirens.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a strategic waterway for global energy supplies.

Iran closed the strait after war broke out following US-Israeli strikes on February 28, using the route as leverage against its opponents for several months.

The waterway was briefly reopened after a US-Iran agreement was reached last month, but Tehran said last week it would remain closed again “until the US ends its aggression”.

Iran’s military said it had launched drones at US military facilities in Jordan “in response to the enemy aggression”, according to state television IRIB.

Earlier, the US military said one of its aircraft fired on and disabled an empty oil tanker attempting to break the naval blockade of Iran’s ports.

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In Iraq, Kurdish authorities said the US-led coalition intercepted and destroyed eight explosive-laden drones over Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region. AFP journalists in the city reported hearing explosions and seeing smoke near the US consulate.

Hours later, Iraq’s Prime Minister condemned the “drone attack” without identifying those responsible.

Despite the renewed fighting, talks between Washington and Tehran have not officially collapsed.

US President Donald Trump warned Iran to return to negotiations or face more attacks.

“Next week it gets really bad for them,” Trump told Fox News, threatening to target power plants and bridges unless Tehran returns to the negotiating table.

Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, questioned the value of the agreement.

“A memorandum of understanding only has meaning when its clauses are valid and being implemented.

“If Iran is not to derive any benefit from the memorandum of understanding, we have no reason to adhere,” he said in a statement.

Shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz remained limited, with maritime tracker Kpler reporting only 21 vessel transits on Tuesday, while oil prices rose following the latest escalation.

The United States has also reimposed a blockade on Iran’s ports.

Many residents in Iran expressed concern over the continued fighting.

Khadijeh, a 31-year-old artisan from Qasr-e Shirin, said: “The little children are so frightened by the sound of explosions that they don’t sleep until morning.

“If, God forbid, the war becomes more intense, then perhaps it will take several generations before we can get back on our feet.”

People in Gulf countries affected by the attacks also expressed fears.

“Every day, I wake up wondering whether the situation will de-escalate or worsen,” said Mustafa Mohamed, a 39-year-old Sudanese accountant living in Kuwait.

Trump also announced on Wednesday that an American citizen, identified by her lawyer as Dena Karari, had left Iran after being detained there since December 2024.

“The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said renewed US attacks since last week had killed at least 30 people.

The Iranian military also said nine of its personnel were killed in Wednesday’s strikes in the southeast.

State media reported that a hospital in Ahvaz, southwestern Iran, was evacuated after US airstrikes in the area, with patients transferred to other medical facilities.