Iran has threatened to halt all energy exports from the Middle East after the United States reimposed a blockade of its ports and ships, escalating a five-day conflict that has seen both countries trade strikes. The US blockade came into force early on Wednesday, followed by a 90-minute wave of strikes targeting Iran's coastal defence systems and missile sites, according to the US military.
Iranian authorities reported that the previous day of US strikes killed at least seven troops and wounded more than 300 people. At least 30 civilians have been killed by US strikes in southern Iran, according to the Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani. President Donald Trump has suggested widening attacks to force open the Strait of Hormuz, warning he would hit an underground nuclear facility known as 'Pickaxe Mountain'.
In response to the renewed blockade, Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz and launched retaliatory airstrikes on countries hosting US bases, including Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared that 'regional energy exports are either shared by all or denied to all', adding that the strait would remain closed until the 'end of America’s evils'. Iran's deputy foreign minister said the blockade had effectively dismantled the interim Islamabad memorandum meant to keep the strait open.
The US military reported firing missiles into an oil tanker’s smokestack in the strait on Wednesday, disabling the vessel. Another wave of strikes targeted Iranian military capabilities used to threaten shipping. The flare-up in violence drove oil prices higher, and shipping companies began avoiding the strait due to safety concerns. The US said Iran had attacked seven commercial ships in the strait last week, resulting in casualties.
Trump has escalated his rhetoric, warning that 'next week it gets really bad for them' and threatening to target power plants and bridges unless Iran negotiates. Axios reported that Trump held a situation room meeting to discuss a massive offensive to force Tehran to reopen the strait. The US president claimed negotiators had been in contact with Iranian counterparts, but Iran's army vowed a 'decisive response' to American aggression.
