Iran, US step up attacks, battle over control of strait
Iran is firing missiles at Jordan and Bahrain after the United States launched a five-hour strike on Iranian targets, accelerating a battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz that sent oil prices to a four-week high.
US forces carried out a third consecutive night of attacks on Tuesday after Tehran announced it was closing the strait; This led US President Donald Trump to reinstate a blockade of Iranian shipping and propose a 20 percent fee to protect the waterway.
Iran responded by attacking a US Army base in Jordan with ballistic missiles, while Bahrain, which hosts a US naval base, said Iran fended off an air attack. Jordan said four ballistic missiles were shot down and explosions were heard in Bahrain’s capital, Manama.
Worsening attacks have raised doubts that the memorandum of understanding signed last month will lead to a permanent halt to the war; This has disrupted global energy supplies and raised fears that inflation will rise globally.
Regional analysts said the fighting remained within controlled borders for now, with both sides seeking leverage for an eventual peace deal, but there was still a risk the conflict could spiral out of control.
“I doubt either side will pursue a full-blown war, especially with Trump suffering — but there’s also a distinct possibility that the Iranians will overplay their hand. That’s true of Trump, too, of course,” said Yazid Sayigh, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center.
It turned out that the war was not popular in the USA, where oil prices had increased since the beginning of the war and congressional elections were approaching in November. Half of those polled by Reuters said they believed the war was not worth the cost.
Oil prices rose again on Tuesday; Brent crude futures rose 5 percent to $87.49 ($125.24) per barrel. This is the highest level since June 12, but is still well below the peak since the beginning of the war, after which it fell slightly.
The United States and Israel struck Iran on February 28, and Iran attacked Israel and Gulf states that host US bases in a war that has also reignited the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, killing thousands and displacing millions.
Lebanon and Israel resumed talks in Rome on Tuesday, while Beirut sought progress toward Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon under a U.S.-brokered deal.
The US has said its renewed attacks on Iran are aimed at “weakening Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping.”
Iranian media reported that the USA attacked many cities and four people were injured. Multiple explosions were heard in Bushehr and Choghadak, according to Fars News Agency, and IRNA quoted a provincial official as saying that four districts of Bushehr city were hit.
There was no loss of life in Iran’s attack on the US Army base in Jordan.
Clashes have intensified since Iran announced late Saturday that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz after firing a warning shot at a ship sailing on an unauthorized route.
Trump said on Monday that the United States would restart the blockade of Iranian shipping, which was lifted as part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed last month, and announced that a 20 percent fee would be applied to all cargo sent through Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote on
Before the war, approximately one-fifth of global oil and gas traffic passed through Hormuz daily. If the U.S. were to impose a 20 percent fee, it could generate revenues of approximately US$240 million ($344 million) per day.
