The U.S.-Iran crisis widened Thursday as American strikes pushed beyond the immediate Hormuz enforcement fight and shipping through the vital waterway continued to thin.
The Guardian reported that the United States disabled an unladen oil tanker that was attempting to reach Kharg Island, while strikes also hit Iranian coastal defenses, missile sites, and targets farther north. The report said Tehran came under attack for the first time in this latest round, with Iranian media also reporting strikes around Ahvaz, Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and Qeshm.
The U.S. military said the strikes were aimed at Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway central to global energy trade. Iran, meanwhile, responded with attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait, according to the same report. Iranian officials said the recent U.S. strikes had killed more than 35 people and wounded more than 300 others; List25 has not independently verified battlefield casualty claims.
Shipping pressure is building
Bloomberg reporting published by gCaptain said the United States struck Iran for a fifth straight day overnight and hit a sanctioned tanker near Iran’s main export terminal. The report also said Iran fired on American bases in Kuwait and Jordan, while Jordan said it intercepted eight missiles.
The same report cited RBC Capital Markets data showing the seven-day average of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz had fallen to 3.9 million barrels from 4.6 million. That drop matters because Hormuz is one of the world’s most important oil and natural gas chokepoints, and even partial disruption can ripple quickly through energy markets and commercial shipping schedules.
UN warns over seafarers and supplies
The humanitarian risk is also rising. UN News reported that the International Maritime Organization condemned deadly attacks on shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz that killed at least two seafarers. The IMO warned that more than 20,000 seafarers remained at risk in the region, including crews stranded on vessels unable to exit the strait.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk also warned that closure or severe disruption of the strait could affect food, medicine, and other essential goods far beyond the Gulf. The IMO said the “cycle of escalation must end” and urged restraint, dialogue, and protection for freedom of navigation.
What remains unclear
It is still unclear whether the latest strikes will push Iran back toward negotiations or harden Tehran’s position. Iran has argued that ships should follow its rules for safe passage through Hormuz, while Washington says Iran does not control the international waterway.
For now, the newest development is not just another clash at sea. The crisis is becoming a broader contest over military pressure, energy flows, and whether commercial shipping can keep moving through Hormuz without the conflict sliding back into full-scale war.