The China Mail - US strikes Iran, vows to reimpose naval blockade

Trump said a deal with the Islamic republic was still possible even as fighting surged to a scale unseen since an April ceasefire, with Iran striking two ships in the strategic waterway and killing one crew member, according to the United Arab Emirates.

UK maritime security agency UKMTO on Tuesday reported yet another tanker struck by a missile while transiting Hormuz near Oman's coast.

The US military earlier said its five-hour mission hit targets across Iran including coastal Bushehr and Bandar Abbas to "degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping".

Renewed US attacks since last week have killed at least 28 people in Iran, according to an AFP tally based on Iranian media and official announcements.

After the strikes, Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced they had in turn fired missiles and drones on Bahrain, targeting a residential building for US forces and other facilities.

Bahrain subsequently said it had intercepted "several treacherous aerial attacks launched by Iran" and accused Tehran of targeting civilians, after explosions and sirens were heard in Manama.

Trump's declaration on the Hormuz blockade and the scale of the renewed fighting have called into question efforts to bring a permanent end to the war.

Iran started blocking the strait after US-Israel attacks in February, which prompted Washington's blockade on Tehran's ports -- but restrictions eased after the sides agreed a preliminary deal in June.

- 'Act of war' -

Trump said Monday that the United States was "taking over" the strait and would slap a levy of 20 percent on all cargo shipped through it, in an announcement that drew mockery from Iran and accusations of "piracy".

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran's ports on the waterway would be blockaded from 2000 GMT on Tuesday.

Oil prices shot up more than nine percent Monday over fears of renewed conflict and rose again Tuesday, piling on more than one percent.

Tehran launched attacks on other US allies in the region, including Jordan, which said it had shot down four missiles from Iran.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said their strikes targeted US forces at an air base and urged Jordanians to issue a "serious demand for the removal of the occupying American bases from the region".

Iran insists it only targets US interests in the Gulf, but its military command spokesman said any collaboration by Gulf countries with the United States would be considered "an act of war."

Trump formally notified Congress last week that the United States had resumed military conflict against Iran, the White House confirmed to AFP, giving the Pentagon an additional 60 days to operate in the region without congressional approval.

In addition to the moves in Hormuz, the US president also threatened to destroy Pickaxe Mountain, a deeply buried nuclear site near Natanz where Western intelligence suspects Iran is building an undeclared enrichment facility.

"Tell the Iranians to be ready. Let them know we're coming (and) there's not a damn thing they can do about it," he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

Trump declared on Truth Social that the United States would be "known as 'THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT'" and levy a 20 percent fee on all cargo shipped through the waterway.

While Iran's ports would again be blockaded, Trump said "all other countries will have fair and open use of the strait".

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded mockingly on X that Trump was "absolutely right" that whoever guarantees safe passage should be compensated, but that Tehran would charge less, noting that "20% is of course too much".

- 'In crisis' -

Iran's parliament has meanwhile begun work on a bill on "the management of the Strait of Hormuz", the head of the security committee said on Tuesday.

Washington has vehemently opposed Tehran's desire to charge tolls in the strait, which international law generally forbids.

Despite all signs to the contrary, Trump said Monday that a deal with Tehran to end the war was still possible.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said earlier Monday that the June memorandum of understanding that formed the basis for the negotiations was "in crisis".

Baqaei said Iran would ignore its obligations under the deal if the Washington did the same, but added that Tehran was continuing talks with mediators from Qatar, Pakistan and Oman to prevent further escalation.

Bader Al-Saif, an associate fellow at Chatham House, said the escalating attacks would merely delay a permanent agreement.

"Both sides want to end the impasse on their own terms, and they are increasingly finding it difficult to do so," he said.

burs-ris/jsa

Q.Moore--ThChM