The United States has announced another early morning attack on Iran, as both countries continue to fight for control of the Strait of Hormuz.
The US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the region, suggested on Sunday that the salvo was aimed at weakening Iran’s offensive capabilities.
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He also highlighted President Donald Trump’s role in authorizing the attack.
“At 5:00 pm ET today, U.S. Central Command launched further strikes against Iran to continue to reduce its ability to attack civilian sailors and commercial vessels freely passing through the Strait of Hormuz,” the military command said in a short statement.
“The commander-in-chief ordered the attack to hold Iranian forces responsible.”
Iranian state media reported that there were explosions in areas near the Strait of Hormuz, including the islands of Sirik, Qeshm, Jask and areas west of Bandar Abbas.
Hormozgan province, which borders the strait, said no civilian casualties had been reported so far.
Sunday’s attack is the latest phase in a new escalation of fighting between the United States and Iran that began on July 7.
In the past week alone, there have been three attacks, including one on Saturday night, and U.S. Central Command said it had struck about 140 military targets in Iran.
Targets reportedly included Iranian drones, missiles, ammunition, surveillance and naval operations.
Iran responded with counterattacks against U.S. military facilities across the Middle East, including facilities in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman.
The shootout deepened doubts about a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed last month between the United States and Iran that called for an “immediate and permanent” cessation of all hostilities.
The memorandum was intended to be a starting point for future negotiations between the United States and Israel as they seek to wind down the war that began on February 28.
However, the key sticking point turned out to be the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime artery through which almost 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas flowed before the war.
Since the war began in February, fuel prices have soared around the world as Iran restricts trade through the waterway.
Under 14 points in the memorandum, Iran was to use its “best efforts” to allow free commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days.
The memorandum also outlines Iran’s plans to “conduct dialogue” with Oman, another country bordering the strait, to “define future management and maritime services” in the waterway.
But in recent weeks, Iran has fired drones at various container ships and tankers passing through the strait, claiming in some cases that the vessels ignored warnings about unauthorized routes.
Since the Strait of Hormuz is within its territorial waters, the country views the issue as a matter of sovereignty.
The Trump administration considers such drone strikes to be a violation of the memorandum of understanding and has responded with military force, first over two days in late June and then four times last week, including Sunday.
For example, U.S. Central Command cited an attack on the Cyprus-flagged vessel M/V GFS Galaxy as the reason for Saturday’s heavy attack. The drone attack was largely non-fatal, but a crew member was reportedly missing in the attack on the Galaxy.
Iran announced on Saturday that it had once again closed the Strait of Hormuz to traffic. The United States remains open.
“Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing,” U.S. Central Command wrote early Sunday.
President Trump said in a social media post Friday that he believes the ceasefire outlined in the memorandum is “over.” Still, in the same message, he indicated that talks between the two countries would continue.
Ahead of the latest attack by the United States on Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on both sides to “exercise utmost restraint” and “avoid further escalatory action.”
He and UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric encouraged the continuation of negotiations and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The United Nations estimates that around 6,000 seafarers remain stranded in the waterway due to the conflict.
Faced with concerns that recent retaliatory attacks could reignite a regional war, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghai posted a response calling on regional countries to end support for U.S. forces.
He addressed his message to Mr. Dujarric, the UN spokesperson.
“We should urge the countries in question to immediately stop the United States from using their territory as a launching pad for Iranian aggression,” Baggaei wrote.
“There is absolutely no responsibility to criticize Iran for not holding its aggressors accountable for their gross violations of international law while defending its national sovereignty.”
He argued that given Iran’s “inherent right of self-defense under international law,” U.S. military bases in the Middle East are legitimate targets.
