US and Iran Trade Strikes as Tensions Escalate Over Strait of Hormuz

The US launched a fresh round of strikes against Iran on Sunday evening, continuing days of cross-attacks between the two nations. Iranian state media reported that the strikes killed one person and injured four others in southwestern Iran.

Within hours of the US strikes, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had struck US military bases in Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain. The escalating attacks cast doubt on the future of an interim US-Iran agreement signed in June, against a backdrop of conflicting claims over whether the Strait of Hormuz is open. Iran claims it has closed the key waterway until further notice, while the US insists it remains open.

On Sunday evening, US Central Command (Centcom) announced another round of strikes against Iran, beginning at 17:00 ET (22:00 BST). Later, Centcom said dozens of Iranian military targets were hit, including air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, and missile and drone capabilities. US forces were 'prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available to commercial shipping despite Iran's continued unwarranted aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations,' Centcom stated.

Minutes before the Centcom announcement, Iranian state TV reported explosions in Sirik, Qeshm, Bandar Abbas, and Jask. The official IRNA news agency quoted the deputy governor for security and law enforcement in Khuzestan province as saying one person was martyred and four injured in the American attack.

Oil prices rose in Asian trading on Monday morning. Brent crude gained 4% to $79.07 a barrel, while US-traded oil rose 4.2% to $74.53. Energy prices on global wholesale markets have fluctuated wildly in recent months as traders reacted to developments in the conflict.

Shortly after the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes. Despite the latest gains, prices remain well below the $120 per barrel mark Brent reached at the end of April.

The new US strikes on Sunday evening followed Centcom's announcement Saturday evening that US forces had hit 140 Iranian military targets. The IRGC responded with wide-ranging attacks on US bases and allies across the region, marking an escalation in hostilities. Among the targets were Qatar, which had not been attacked since April, and the United Arab Emirates, which had not been attacked since May. The BBC has approached Centcom for comment on an attack in Jordan.

The renewed fighting jeopardizes an interim ceasefire agreement signed last month, which aimed to reopen the Strait and eventually bring a permanent end to the conflict. Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump declared the Iranian attacks meant the ceasefire was over, while Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US of violating the deal. However, Trump said talks would continue and mediators were trying to revive the process. On Sunday, Centcom insisted the Strait was open, warning that US forces were in position to ensure it remained free-flowing.