TEHRAN: US forces carried out strikes against Iran for a fourth day in a row on Tuesday (Jul 14) and reimposed a naval blockade to prevent ships from sailing to or from the country’s ports.
The military action came after US President Donald Trump backed down on his threat to heavily tax ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, saying Gulf countries had agreed to make major investments in the United States.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest strikes were aimed at “degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping” in the strait, the key shipping channel for Gulf oil and gas where Tehran has repeatedly carried out attacks on civilian vessels.
Iranian state media reported explosions near the port city of Bandar Abbas, on the Gulf island of Qeshm near the Strait of Hormuz, and other locations.
The renewed naval blockade came into force at 8pm GMT (4am, Singapore time) – an hour after the US strikes began – with a senior Iranian official saying the move effectively wrecked a deal struck with Washington to pause the conflict to allow peace talks to take place.
“There are currently more than 20 US Navy warships and hundreds of military aircraft operating across the Middle East,” CENTCOM said in a post announcing the resumption of the blockade, adding: “American forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready.”
Iran had earlier Tuesday said a previous round of US strikes targeted Qeshm, while local authorities also said US forces struck “four points” in Bushehr – which hosts Iran’s only civilian nuclear power plant – as well as an Iranian border area near Iraq and Kuwait.