The US military concluded a seven-hour bombardment targeting Iranian missile, drone, and naval assets early Wednesday.
A naval blockade on Iranian ports was reinstated by the US in response to Tehran's attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
The blockade's resumption marks the collapse of a 60-day interim negotiation deal established in mid-June.
The US military ended a seven-hour round of strikes targeting Iranian missile, drone, coastal defence and naval assets early Wednesday, US Central Command stated according to AP.
Following the strikes, the US military reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Officials stated this was in response to Tehran's attacks on ships attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran offered no immediate casualty or damage information following the bombardment.
The US first imposed the blockade in mid-April. It lifted the measure in mid-June under a 60-day interim deal for negotiations over issues like Iran's nuclear programme. That agreement has now unravelled amid escalating violence.
Clashes and Military Build-Up
Missile alert warnings went out in Bahrain and Kuwait early Wednesday morning due to incoming Iranian fire. Iranian state media reported an exchange of fire in the strait hours after the blockade was reinstated.
The US maintains a heavy military presence. The deployment includes at least 19 warships in the Arabian Sea, featuring two aircraft carriers and an amphibious assault ship carrying over 1,000 Marines. Central Command also stated in a social media post that hundreds of military aircraft are operating across the Middle East.
"U.S. forces are holding Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression that continues to endanger innocent lives," Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads Central Command, said in a statement.
The current war began on 28 February when the US and Israel launched attacks. In response, Tehran shut the passage, which spiked global commodity prices. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, wrote in a letter to the UN leader, "The US is the aggressor, not the victim.", the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Trump Drops Strait Fees
US President Donald Trump dropped his Monday proposal to impose a 20% fee on ships passing through the strait hours before the blockade resumed.
Trump cited requests from Persian Gulf "kings and emirs" who suggested alternate investment arrangements instead of tolls. "They said we’d love to do it a different way. We’d love to invest in the United States with billions and billions of dollars," Trump told reporters Tuesday in the Oval Office.
Charging fees would have departed from longstanding US policy promising the strait would remain open to all without tolls. Trump added he preferred the new arrangement "because I don’t think anybody should be able to charge a fee for the strait".
