Iran attacks Gulf countries following fresh US strikes – Middle East crisis live
From 4m agoIran attacks Gulf countries after fresh US strikesIran launched missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbours this morning in retaliation to a number of US strikes and announced the closure of the...
From
4m agoIran attacks Gulf countries after fresh US strikes
Iran launched missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbours this morning in retaliation to a number of US strikes and announced the closure of the strategic strait of Hormuz until further notice.
Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the UAE all reportedly came under attack, in the latest escalation that undermines the US-Iran memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war.
The US said it had struck Iran early on Sunday after the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired on a Cyprus-registered container ship they claimed was sailing an “unauthorised route” through the strait of Hormuz.
According to state media, the IRGC then said they had hit a second vessel, accusing it of “violating regulations”.
“A vessel that had jeopardised maritime security by switching off its systems was struck and brought to a halt,” the navy of the IRGC said.
A short time later, US Central Command said its forces had carried out a round of strikes against Iran, attacking at least 140 targets.
“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,” the military said.
The targets included missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition depots, communication networks and surveillance locations, it added.
The IRGC said that in response to American attacks it closed the strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies usually flow, until further notice as it warned of a severe response to US “aggression”.
Key events
Iran has taken control of the strait of Hormuz with 'power', official says
Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson for the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission, has said that Iran has taken control of the strait of Hormuz with “power”.
In a brief post on X, he wrote:
double quotation markWe have taken control of the strait of Hormuz with power, and we will preserve it with power as well.
The latest exchange of strikes came hours after regional diplomats finished talks aimed at resolving the impasse over the strait of Hormuz, which Iran has sought to assert its sovereignty over and sees as its main point of leverage in negotiations with Washington.
During Saturday’s talks, Oman proposed a plan to fully reopen both shipping lanes through the strait, according to US outlet Axios, citing a diplomat briefed on the negotiations.
The report said that under the proposal the southern route through Omani waters would reopen without the need for prior approval, reverting back to the position in place before the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February.
The Iranian delegation, however, was unable to gain approval for the plan in Oman and took it back to Tehran for internal deliberations, the diplomat told Axios.
The US is demanding that Iran publicly state it will stop attacks on ships in the strait - and that all lanes will be open with no tolls through the waterway.
Iran attacks Gulf countries after fresh US strikes
Iran launched missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbours this morning in retaliation to a number of US strikes and announced the closure of the strategic strait of Hormuz until further notice.
Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the UAE all reportedly came under attack, in the latest escalation that undermines the US-Iran memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war.
The US said it had struck Iran early on Sunday after the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired on a Cyprus-registered container ship they claimed was sailing an “unauthorised route” through the strait of Hormuz.
According to state media, the IRGC then said they had hit a second vessel, accusing it of “violating regulations”.
“A vessel that had jeopardised maritime security by switching off its systems was struck and brought to a halt,” the navy of the IRGC said.
A short time later, US Central Command said its forces had carried out a round of strikes against Iran, attacking at least 140 targets.
“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,” the military said.
The targets included missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition depots, communication networks and surveillance locations, it added.
The IRGC said that in response to American attacks it closed the strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies usually flow, until further notice as it warned of a severe response to US “aggression”.
