The United States launched another wave of strikes on Iranian targets tied to the Strait of Hormuz late Sunday and into Monday, while Tehran said the attacks had made recent diplomacy “futile,” deepening a crisis already centered on one of the world’s most important energy corridors.
U.S. Central Command said the new strikes were ordered to continue degrading Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz. The Guardian reported that the strikes began at 9 p.m. GMT on Sunday, after a weekend of attacks and counterattacks between the United States and Iran.
The latest exchange follows Iran’s attack on a container ship in the strait and a broader dispute over whether Tehran can control or restrict traffic through Hormuz. Washington says the waterway remains open for lawful transit. Iran says passage is not currently possible without its approval.
Centcom Says The New Strikes Targeted Iran’s Shipping Threat
According to CBS News live updates, CENTCOM said Sunday that U.S. forces launched more strikes against Iran “to continue degrading their ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships” in the Strait of Hormuz. The command said President Donald Trump directed the strikes to hold Iranian forces accountable.
The Times of Israel reported that CENTCOM later said the latest wave used fighter jets, ships, aerial drones and naval drones to hit Iranian air defense systems, radar sites, missile and drone equipment and small boats.
That makes this a new phase of the Hormuz confrontation. Previous U.S. strikes were already aimed at Iranian missile, drone, naval and surveillance assets after attacks on shipping. The Monday wave came after Iran and the United States each hardened their public position over who controls access to the strait.
Iran Says Diplomacy Has Been Undercut
Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the new U.S. attacks, saying they had “rendered futile” recent efforts to reduce tensions and establish peace in the region, according to The Guardian. The ministry accused Washington of bringing insecurity back to the Strait of Hormuz by interfering with what Tehran describes as its own arrangements for the waterway.
Iran’s position is that the strait is part of its security space and that vessels should follow Iranian authorization rules. The United States rejects that claim and says the strait is an international maritime corridor that must remain open to commercial shipping.
The disagreement is not academic. The Strait of Hormuz normally carries a major share of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Even limited disruption can raise shipping costs, push up energy prices and force governments to decide whether to escort vessels, reroute traffic or pressure both sides back into negotiations.
Iran Claims New Attacks Across The Gulf
CBS reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed strikes against Oman and Bahrain early Monday, saying they had targeted U.S. military facilities near Manama and destroyed radar systems in Oman. Those claims could not be independently verified from the reports available early Monday.
Jordan’s military said it shot down four Iranian missiles that entered its airspace, CBS reported, adding that there were no reports of injuries or property damage. The Guardian also reported that Kuwait’s armed forces said they were responding to hostile aerial targets as Iran carried out strikes on U.S. interests in the Gulf.
The spread of alerts and claimed strikes matters because several of the countries now being pulled into the crisis are also linked to mediation, U.S. basing or maritime security. Oman has hosted talks over Hormuz. Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. Qatar has played a role in ceasefire diplomacy. Every new strike or interception narrows the political room for those governments to help calm the fight.
The Hormuz Question Is Now The Core Crisis
The immediate trigger was Iran’s attack on a commercial ship in the strait. But the larger issue is control. Iran is trying to turn Hormuz into leverage over the United States and its allies. Washington is treating that as a direct challenge to freedom of navigation.
The Guardian reported that some ships were still crossing the waterway, while U.S. maritime guidance pointed vessels toward an expanded southern route near Oman. Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority has said passage is not currently possible because of what it calls illegal U.S. military movements, and that permits will be issued once stability is restored.
For now, both sides are speaking as if they control the same narrow route. That is the danger. The more each side tries to prove its authority over Hormuz, the more likely a shipping crisis becomes a broader regional war.
Sources: The Guardian; CBS News; The Times of Israel.