(July 13): The US launched fresh missile attacks against Iran on Sunday in what has become a pattern of strikes and counterstrikes by Washington and Tehran as the two sides issued conflicting declarations over whether the Strait of Hormuz is open to shipping.
US Central Command (Centcom) said that American forces carried out a new round of strikes designed to degrade Tehran’s ability to attack shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Dozens of targets were hit, including Iranian air-defence systems, coastal radar sites, and missile and drone capabilities, Centcom said on Sunday in a post on X.
It was the fourth time the US struck Iran in about a week and followed one of the heaviest bombardments since a June agreement intended to halt the fighting. Centcom said on Saturday its forces struck about 140 targets under orders from US President Donald Trump.
Iran’s retaliatory operations were continuing, the IRNA new agency reported, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC said on Sunday night it intercepted two vessels it viewed as endangering shipping in the strait by proceeding along an “illegal route”. IRNA also reported the Iranian forces used missiles and drones to set fire to missile depots and fuel tanks at Jordan’s Prince Hassan Air Base. Jordan said three missiles landed in the kingdom.
CNN reported that the IRGC had fired at commercial ships, and that US aircraft intercepted an Iranian cruise missile and attack drone. Central Command said the Cyprus-flagged M/V GFS Galaxy suffered significant damage and was unable to continue its voyage, with one civilian crew member missing.
The Islamic Republic launched retaliatory drone and missile assaults on Sunday on US allies across the Middle East, including Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. So far, only minor damage was reported and no one was injured.
See also: Hormuz shipping grinds to near halt after US, Iran strikes
Brent crude climbed 4.4% to above US$79 ($102) a barrel on Monday as the exchange of strikes stoked concerns over potential supply disruptions.
The increasingly heated tit-for-tat attacks are casting doubt on US-Iran negotiations intended to resolve issues including the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme and eventually end the war Washington and Israel began in late February.
Over the weekend, Iran said the Strait of Hormuz would now be closed “until further notice”. Central Command disputed that, saying that waterway was still open to all vessels and the US military is prepared to ensure freedom of navigation. The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), a global monitoring body, reported on Sunday it was still possible to transit the strait’s southern route.
See also: Trump says US ceasefire with Iran is ‘over’ after strikes
Trump also said the strait remained open as he spoke on Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press. “We bombed the hell out of them last night,” he said. “They are very, very evil and sick people.”
Iranian attacks on commercial shipping have prompted the UK, France and Germany to issue a joint statement condemning the strikes and calling for the resumption of the ceasefire and peace talks.
The LNG tanker Al Hamra appeared to transit the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend and is now in the Gulf of Oman, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Axios reported, citing a US official, that some 20 commercial vessels managed to transit the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the US military.
Iranian media early on Sunday reported blasts on the country’s southern coast, including at the energy and petrochemical hubs of Bushehr and Asalouyeh, the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Bandar-e Dayyer, and the Sirik area near the Hormuz strait, a global energy chokepoint. A communication tower was hit in the southern province of Kerman, injuring two people, according to the Mehr news agency.
Iran’s IRNA news agency reported that 10 or 11 missiles were fired at Qeshm Island later on Sunday by the “enemy”, without causing casualties. Kuwait said a drone attack damaged a Kuwait Oil Co. drilling platform.
The IRGC said on Sunday it wouldn’t allow any vessels to transit the Hormuz strait until foreign interference ends, according to state-run IRIB News.
Control of the waterway — through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas once moved — has been central to US-Iran negotiations.
To stay ahead of Singapore and the region’s corporate and economic trends, click here for Latest Section
There was almost no visible traffic in the strait on Sunday. The maritime security threat “remains severe”, the multinational JMIC said in a note.
Qatar said three people were injured by falling debris after Iranian missiles were intercepted. Kuwait also said it was responding to aerial attacks, after Iran’s regular army announced drone assaults aimed at a US Patriot missile battery, an ammunition depot and a radar site in the country. The Iranian military said a US communications array and radar installation in Bahrain were targeted too.
Iranian state media reported strikes on US naval logistics hubs and aircraft carrier refuelling facilities at Oman’s Port of Duqm. Oman summoned Iran’s ambassador and protested drone attacks that targeted sites in the sultanate’s Musandam and Alwusta governorates, its Foreign Ministry said.
Uploaded by Tham Yek Lee
