U.S. launches daytime strikes on Iran to assert control of Strait of Hormuz

U.S. launches daytime strikes on Iran to assert control of Strait of Hormuz

Tehran threatens to block more vital seaways

U.S., Iran strikes continue for 5th straight day as Washington launches new wave of attacks

The U.S. said it had begun a new wave ‌of strikes against Iran on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports, while Tehran threatened to shut off more regional energy exports.

The strikes mark the latest escalation of attacks and counterattacks launched by ​the two sides as they vie for control of ​the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the war.

"At 6 a.m. ET today, ​U.S. Central Command forces began launching a wave of strikes against ⁠Iran," the U.S. military ⁠said.

"The strikes are designed to further ‌degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."

Central Command said the 90-minute wave of strikes targeted defence and missile sites on Iran's Greater Tunb island.

The ⁠U.S. also struck Iran late Tuesday, hitting dozens of military targets near the strait and Iranian coastal areas over seven hours.

Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said at least 30 civilians had been killed in recent days due to the U.S. strikes on southern Iran, state media reported on Wednesday.

Iran's army said at least seven active-duty and conscript personnel were killed in overnight U.S. strikes on the Bampur military base in the country's southeast.

In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard ‌Corps said on Wednesday it had struck U.S. military targets in the region, including in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. It also threatened to shut off more regional energy exports, saying the U.S. "must brace for the closure of all ​other export corridors that benefit the U.S. and its allies."

Analysts have said Iran has been signalling it may use its Houthi allies in Yemen to shut the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea, opening a new front against Washington and putting two of the world's most vital energy arteries at risk.

The narrow gateway links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, through which Saudi oil exports and a ​substantial share of global shipping pass.

Earlier on Wednesday, Kuwait's state news agency reported that ⁠a fire was brought under control at a site targeted in Iranian attacks. It was not immediately clear whether the fire was at the same site referred to in the IRGC statement.

Jordan's ⁠air defence intercepted and shot down three ballistic missiles that entered the country's airspace from Iranian territory early on Wednesday.

Oil prices jump as conflict between U.S., Iran escalates

The war, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran on Feb. ⁠28, triggered Iranian attacks on ​Gulf states that host U.S. bases and caused major disruption to global energy supplies, raising ​fears of a surge ⁠in inflation.

An interim ceasefire signed last month was meant to lead to further negotiations and a permanent truce, but a return to talks ⁠has faltered. The U.S. previously imposed a naval blockade for about two months beginning in April, lifting it when it appeared fighting would cease while talks continued.

The IRGC also said on Wednesday that ‌the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until what it described as "the end of America's evils."

The U.S. says Iran had attacked seven commercial ships over the last week, leading to nearly a dozen crew members being killed, missing or injured. India has said it has lodged a protest with Iran, as two of its citizens were among the sailors killed.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to hit Iranian power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran resumes negotiations.

Trump can’t make up his mind about tolls on the Strait of Hormuz | About That

"I'll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we'll hit energy targets," ​Trump said in an interview with Fox News’s Trey Yingst.

Trump on Monday floated the idea of a 20 per cent fee on shipping through the strait, which drew sharp criticism from the UN shipping agency and others. On Tuesday, he scrapped the idea and said, without providing details, that he would instead seek U.S.-based investment deals with Gulf states.