US Launches Fresh Strikes on Iran Amid Strait of Hormuz Standoff
The US military announced a sixth consecutive night of attacks on Iran, aiming to further degrade Iranian capabilities while escalating its naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command (Centcom) said the strikes were intended to "further degrade Iranian military capabilities" and confirmed it had boarded a vessel as part of the strait blockade. Iranian state media reported US missiles struck near Qeshm Island, as well as in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr—the site of a nuclear power plant. Two bridges in Hormozgan province were also reportedly hit. The BBC verified an attack on one bridge west of Bandar Abbas.
Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Tehran had "no reason" to abide by any agreement that does not benefit the country, adding that national security depends on maintaining "Iranian arrangements" in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump remains open to talks with Iran but will not allow ships in the strait to be fired upon without consequences.
The escalation follows Trump's April threat to strike Iran's bridges and power plants if it did not return to negotiations. UN human rights chief Volker Türk warned that deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure is a war crime. The 1949 Geneva Conventions prohibit attacks on sites essential for civilians.
The Strait of Hormuz—a critical waterway off Iran's coast that Tehran effectively blocked in response to US-Israeli strikes—remains shut. Centcom also said marines boarded an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman and "redirected 3 commercial vessels trying to run the blockade."
