The United States has reinstated a blockade on Iranian ports following another day of escalating exchanges with Tehran, further signaling the collapse of their interim peace agreement. The US military said the blockade on vessels traveling “to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas” took effect at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday evening, tightening pressure on Iran amid rising tensions.
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) also announced it had started a new wave of strikes on Iran, shortly after Iranian media reports of US attacks in or near the cities of Sirik and Bandar Abbas.
CENTCOM said its latest attacks were aimed at “degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz”.
Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian officials and state media reported US strikes on the city of Abadan, which hosts the oldest oil refinery in the Middle East, the port city of Mahshahr, Qeshm Island and Kish Island.CENTCOM had launched a wave of attacks across Iran on Monday night, including strikes on Bushehr and Bandar Abbas.
Iran responded by hitting two ships in Omani waters in the Strait of Hormuz, killing a crew member, according to the United Arab Emirates. Iran also carried out retaliatory attacks Tuesday on Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.
“This is a low-intensity war that is becoming persistent,” said Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Tehran, Iran. “And, of course, there are concerns if things escalate further, there might be a return to a full-scale war.”
“It’s been another difficult 24 hours for countries in the Gulf and in Jordan as these Iranian attacks continue across this region,” reported Al Jazeera’s Victoria Gatenby from Doha, Qatar.
‘Cycle of escalation’
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) acknowledged hitting two supertankers on Tuesday, saying they had been disabled after ignoring repeated warnings. The IRGC accused the US of “inciting vessels to use an illegal route” and said cooperation with the “aggressor enemy” would only result in damage, delays in reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a global energy crisis.Mediator Qatar condemned the attacks on tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, while Oman called on all parties involved to respect international law regarding navigation in the waterway.
The International Maritime Agency expressed concern about the latest attacks in the strait, which it said had claimed the lives of two seafarers, and said the “cycle of escalation must end”.
The IRGC also claimed an attack at US military facilities in Jordan, while Bahrain, which hosts a US naval base, said it had fended off an Iranian aerial attack.
Later Tuesday evening, Kuwait said its armed forces were engaging with “hostile” aerial targets, while Bahrain’s Interior Ministry also said sirens had been sounded.
Amid the escalation, Trump said he was scrapping a planned levy on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which he had announced a day earlier, replacing the fee with trade deals with Gulf allies.
“I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network.
‘They shot first’
Speaking from the White House later, Trump accused Iran of triggering the latest round of military escalation, which began July 7.
“They shot first, and that was a big mistake that they shot first because we have been knocking the hell out of them. They’re very difficult people,” said Trump, who last week said he thought the US-Iran MoU signed June 17 was “over” and on Friday formally notified Congress the US had resumed military strikes on Iran.
Alex Vatanka, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, says Trump still appears to be banking on the Iranians seeking a return to negotiations if the US creates enough pressure.
But that’s “a gamble”, he told Al Jazeera, warning this approach could lead to escalation, as Iran has consistently signalled it will respond to pressure with retaliation rather than concession.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi accused the US of destroying the MoU and violating all its obligations under the agreement, according to comments cited by Iranian state media.He said Iran currently has no commitments under the MoU, including regarding the Strait of Hormuz, and that the US is mistaken if it believes it can push Tehran back into negotiations by imposing its own blockade.
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