The United States launched fresh strikes on Iran after Tehran targeted a container ship on Sunday, while Iran said it had once again closed the Strait of Hormuz and intensified attacks on US facilities across Gulf states.
The latest exchange marked a significant escalation in the ongoing cycle of attacks and counter-attacks, as Iran sought to assert control over shipping routes through the strategic waterway.
The strikes expanded to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which had not faced attacks since early May, and Qatar, a key mediator in ceasefire negotiations that had remained untouched since April.
Iran said it shut the strait after firing a warning shot that hit a vessel travelling on an “unauthorised route”, warning that any retaliation would face a “severe response”.
Tehran later claimed it had disabled a second vessel.
India said one of its citizens was missing after the container ship GFS Galaxy was attacked off Oman’s coast earlier on Sunday.
Oman reported that 23 crew members had been rescued, while Qatar urged all vessels, including recreational boats, fishing boats and jet skis, to suspend operations.
The Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said the waterway would remain closed until “the end of US interference in this region”.
However, the US Central Command (Centcom) said commercial ships were still passing through the strait, which previously carried around one-fifth of global oil and LNG shipments before the conflict.
Centcom said its forces were deployed to protect freedom of navigation despite what it called “aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations” by Iran.
“Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing,” it said.
The renewed hostilities have raised further doubts over the future of a temporary US-Iran agreement signed on June 18, which aimed to reopen the strait and bring an end to the war following 60 days of negotiations.
US President Donald Trump said last week that he considered the ceasefire agreement over, while indicating that further talks remained possible.
The conflict, which began after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has destabilised the Gulf region. Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed energy prices higher and contributed to concerns over global inflation.
Rising fuel prices, particularly gasoline costs, have become a politically sensitive issue for Trump ahead of November’s congressional elections.
UAE, Qatar among Gulf states targeted
Centcom said US forces struck 140 Iranian military targets on Saturday and more than 300 targets over three nights of operations aimed at reducing Iran’s ability to attack commercial vessels and civilian sailors using the strait.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several port cities and said an Iranian army officer was killed in “US-Israeli” strikes.
The IRGC claimed it had destroyed a command-and-control centre and drone facilities in Jordan, targeted a US radar installation in Kuwait, attacked US aircraft carrier support and refuelling platforms in Oman, and destroyed a jet maintenance centre and command facility in Qatar.
Qatar, which had previously said it would not mediate while under attack, reported that three people, including a child, were injured by falling shrapnel. Doha said Iran was “fully legally responsible” for the incident.
The UAE said it detected missile threats outside its territory, Bahrain said it intercepted several Iranian aerial attacks, Jordan reported missile strikes, and Oman said it had been targeted by drones.
Oman said it summoned Iran’s ambassador over drone attacks in two regions, while the US embassy in Oman advised its citizens in Duqm and Musandam to take shelter.
Iran warns: ‘Keep your word or pay the price’
The latest escalation followed talks in Oman on Saturday between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.
Iran said the discussions focused on arrangements related to the Strait of Hormuz and would continue with Qatar’s participation.
Araghchi later spoke with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who called on all sides to reduce tensions and exercise restraint.
“There can only be mutual compliance,” Araghchi wrote on X on Friday.
Earlier, the United States revoked a licence allowing Iranian crude sales after Qatari and Saudi commercial vessels came under attack. Iran has not accepted responsibility for previous ship attacks.
On Sunday, Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X: “The era of one-sided deals is OVER. We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking.”
A day earlier, a statement from Iran’s new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei threatened retaliation for the killing of his predecessor and father during the initial attacks of the war.
“We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs,” the statement said.
