Iran targets military bases as US launches wave of strikes

On Tuesday, Trump threatened to target Iran’s energy infrastructure if Tehran does not return to negotiations.

Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammed Bagher Galibaf, told state media there was “no reason” for Tehran to abide by any agreement that does not benefit the country.

He added that Iran’s national security depends on maintaining what he described as “Iranian arrangements” in the Strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command (Centcom) said that in recent attacks, the US targeted command centers, air defense facilities and coastal surveillance facilities across Iran, including the port city of Bandar Abbas and Greater Tunb Island.

According to reports in Iranian state media, explosions were heard across Iran and air defenses were triggered in Tehran.

Soon after, US allies in the Gulf reported attacks. While the Kuwaiti army announced that it prevented drone attacks, Bahrain’s interior ministry told citizens to remain calm and go to the nearest safe place.

The Iranian army also said that it targeted US communication systems and fuel storage facilities in Jordan in its latest attacks.

As tensions intensify, the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway off the coast of Iran that Tehran has effectively closed in response to US-Israeli attacks, remains closed.

On Tuesday, the United States announced it was reinstating the blockade of Iranian ports; That blockade had previously been lifted as part of an agreement reached between the two countries last month, known as a memorandum of understanding.

The next day, the United States opened fire on and disabled an empty Curacao-flagged oil tanker that Centcom said was trying to head for a blockaded Iranian port.

In response to the renewal of the US blockade, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned the US that it should “expect the closure of other oil and gas export routes that serve the interests of the US and its allies.”

No detailed information was given about which routes might be affected.

The ongoing hostilities, together with the sharp rise in oil prices triggered by the near halt of tanker traffic on the main shipping lane, have underlined the strategic importance of the Bosphorus to the global economy.