Iran Threatens More Trade Route Closures As US Launches Fresh Strikes

Iran has threatened to expand disruptions to key trading routes in the region as the United States launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iranian military targets.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the United States ended what it described as its “acts of aggression”.

The force also warned that other regional oil and gas export routes could be targeted.

The warning followed new US military operations on Wednesday.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it carried out coordinated drone, air and naval strikes against Iranian targets after a separate seven-hour operation overnight.

According to CENTCOM, the latest attacks further weakened Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

It added that a 90-minute assault targeted Iran’s coastal defence systems as well as cruise missile storage and launch facilities on Greater Tunb Island.

The renewed fighting has highlighted the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest oil shipping routes, while tanker movements through the waterway have slowed significantly, pushing global oil prices higher.

US President Donald Trump, in an interview aired on Tuesday night, warned that the US would target Iran’s bridges and power infrastructure next week if Tehran refused to return to negotiations.

“I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,” Trump said.

The latest remarks came after Trump said a proposed 20 per cent toll on vessels using the Strait of Hormuz would instead be replaced with “massive” trade and investment agreements involving Gulf states.

Trump had previously faced criticism in April after threatening to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure.

At the time, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said: “Under international law, deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure is a war crime.”

The US also reinstated a blockade on Iranian ports on Tuesday evening, preventing vessels from entering or leaving Iranian ports and nearby coastal waters.

The blockade had earlier been lifted under a memorandum of understanding reached between Washington and Tehran last month, which aimed to ease months of conflict.

Responding to the renewed blockade, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that the US should “expect the closure of other oil and gas export routes that serve the interests of the United States and its allies”, although it did not specify which routes could be affected.

Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported that the country’s military had launched separate attacks on US targets in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.

The US and its regional allies said they intercepted drones and missiles fired from Iran.