US launches new wave of strikes against Iran as Tehran says diplomacy has proven ‘futile’ | US-Israel war on Iran
The US military has launched a new wave of attacks against Iran amid rising tensions over the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran said the latest attacks left all diplomatic efforts over the past few months “idle.”
The US military began launching further strikes against Iran at 21:00 GMT on Sunday “to continue weakening their ability to attack civilian sailors and commercial ships freely passing through the Strait of Hormuz,” US Central Command (Centcom) said on channel X.
The statement added that President Donald Trump “led the attacks to hold Iranian forces accountable.” “We’re beating them,” Trump said, referring to attacks on Iran over the weekend.
Tehran targeted US facilities in Gulf states early Sunday and said it was re-blocking the strait as renewed violence further raises doubts about the future of a temporary US-Iran ceasefire agreement signed last month. Centcom said some ships continued to cross the waterway.
The attacks were the latest in a cycle of attacks and counter-attacks as Iran sought control over shipping through the vital energy route, but the barrage marked an increase in speed and range. Centcom said it carried out about 140 attacks on Saturday night.
Iran’s attacks on Sunday expanded to include Qatar, which has been mediating ceasefire talks that has not been attacked since April. The United Arab Emirates, which has not been targeted since early May, said its air defenses had attacked missiles and drones from Iran.
Iranian media reported on Sunday that missile attacks and explosions occurred near the port cities of Sirik and Bandar Abbas, which host military facilities in the Strait of Hormuz, and Qeshm Island.
Iran condemned the latest wave of US attacks, with its foreign ministry saying they “negate all efforts made over the past few months to reduce tensions and establish peace in the West Asian region.”
The Ministry’s statement also included the following statements: “The US regime has openly intervened in Iran’s process of implementing the necessary regulations in the Strait of Hormuz, causing the return of insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz and the disruption of international commercial transportation.”
The ministry also said that the talks between Iran and Oman in Muscat on Saturday, focusing on regulations regarding the management of the strait and transit routes, could not reach a conclusion due to the “overt and covert” pressure of the United States on Oman.
Last week, Trump said he thought the ceasefire was over but left the door open to further talks. But Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, shared on X on Sunday: “The era of unilateral agreements is over. We told you: Keep your word or pay the price. The truth is knocking on the door.”
The flare-up was the latest incident to undermine an interim agreement between Washington and Tehran aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war after 60 days of negotiations. The conflict has caused global economic shockwaves since it began in late February; It caused energy prices to rise and global inflation to increase. Rising prices, especially for oil, are politically sensitive for Trump ahead of the US congressional elections in November.
Oil prices, which have fallen since the deal was announced, rose more than 3.5% when futures opened in Tokyo on Monday, with U.S. benchmark WTI rising above $74 a barrel.
Before the war, Iran tried to establish a permanent system for fee collection in the strait, which carries one fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, and warned ships not to sail without its permission.
Iran’s recently created Persian Gulf Strait Authority said on Sunday that passage through the strait is not currently possible due to recent illegal US military movements in the region. It was stated that the permits would be given “as soon as stability and tranquility are achieved”.
The United States, which revoked a license allowing the sale of Iranian crude on Tuesday following earlier attacks on shipping, said its forces were in a position to protect freedom of navigation despite what it described as Iran’s “aggression, harassment, threats and arbitrary declarations.”
The US Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center reiterated its guidance that an “expanded” southern route near Oman is available for two-way traffic despite a serious security threat.
Centcom said Saturday that U.S. forces struck more than 300 Iranian military targets over three nights this week, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it hit targets in Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar in response; these claims could not be independently verified.
With Agence France-Presse, Reuters and AP
