US military launches new round of strikes against Iran
- Centcom says Trump ordered strikes to degrade Iran’s capabilities.
- Iran’s IRGC Navy announces Hormuz closure ‘until further notice.
- Tehran warned any act of aggression will draw a severe response.
The US military said Saturday it has launched a new round of strikes against Iran, after Tehran “blatantly attacked” a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest strikes, which began at 7:15 pm in Washington (2315 GMT), came “after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces blatantly attacked” a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command said in a statement.
“The United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait,” Centcom said, adding that the strikes were being carried out at the direction of President Donald Trump.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said simply: “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the Strait of Hormuz would be closed “until further notice,” state media reported.
The Guards had fired warning shots at a vessel using an unauthorised route, the reports said.
The move threatens to further complicate efforts to salvage US-Iran negotiations after both sides exchanged strikes over the past few days.
A key roadblock to a final agreement is the future of the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran insisting it will control shipping through the waterway and Washington demanding unrestricted navigation.
‘Dual-route Hormuz shipping plan’
Araqchi and Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi met in Oman to exchange “views on appropriate mechanisms for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” according to a statement from the Iranian foreign minister, Reuters reported.
Oman’s state news agency said Omani and Iranian negotiators would continue talks “at the technical and political levels.”
CNN reported on Saturday that Oman made a draft proposal for the strait, including free navigation through its southern corridor in Omani territorial waters. The plan called for vessels transiting the northern corridor through Iranian territorial waters to obtain prior approval from Iran, although no tolls would be imposed, CNN said.
The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the CNN report.
Washington demands that Tehran publicly state it will stop attacks on ships in the strait — and that all lanes will be open without tolls, senior US officials have said.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has accused the United States of violating the ceasefire agreement. “There can only be mutual compliance,” he wrote on X on Friday.
The US revoked the licence authorising the sale of Iranian crude on Tuesday after three Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers came under fire earlier in the week, prompting the US to hit Iranian sites. Iran then struck US military sites in Gulf states.
