US and Iran trade fresh strikes, dispute whether Hormuz is open

THE US and Iran exchanged fresh strikes overnight into Monday (Jul 13) as they continued their tit-for-tat attacks while issuing conflicting declarations over whether the Strait of Hormuz was open to shipping.

US Central Command said American forces carried out a new round of attacks to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten shipping in the narrow waterway. Dozens of targets were hit, including Iranian air-defence systems, coastal radar sites, and missile and drone capabilities, Centcom said Sunday in a post on X.

Teheran retaliated on Monday with attacks on US allies in the Persian Gulf and beyond, targeting US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, according to Iranian state media outlets.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said earlier that it had intercepted two vessels it viewed as endangering shipping in Hormuz by proceeding along an “illegal route.”

The latest escalation extends a pattern of attacks and counterstrikes that has continued for about a week.

The US attacks over the weekend of Jul 11 and 12 marked one of the heaviest bombardments since a June agreement intended to halt the fighting, while Iran’s retaliation is also widening, targeting an increasing number of Arab states in the region.

Oil prices rose on fears that renewed clashes could further disrupt flows through Hormuz, with global benchmark Brent trading 4.3 per cent higher at over US$79 a barrel as of 5.54 am in London (12.54 pm in Singapore).

Iran targets Arab states in the region

Centcom said over the weekend of Jul 11 and 12 that its forces struck about 140 targets under orders from US President Donald Trump.

Iran launched drones at US Army positions in Kuwait on Monday, according to Press TV. Earlier, Kuwait said a drone attack damaged a drilling platform of its state-run oil company.

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The IRGC used missiles and drones to strike missile depots and fuel storage tanks at Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan, state-run Islamic Republic News Agency said, adding that the retaliatory strikes were continuing.

Helicopter maintenance and repair facilities, a P-8 electronic warfare aircraft hangar, and the US military’s drone command and control centres at a US base in Bahrain were also hit, IRNA said.

The United Arab Emirates said Sunday that its air defences were responding to a missile threat that was detected outside the country’s borders. Qatar said three people were wounded from falling debris after its forces intercepted Iranian missile attacks.

Iranian state media also reported strikes against US naval logistics hubs and aircraft carrier refuelling platforms situated at Oman’s Port of Duqm.

Status of Hormuz remains unclear

At the heart of the latest escalation is shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran was blamed for targeting multiple commercial vessels over the past week.

Over the weekend of Jul 11 and 12, Teheran said the strait 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, a global monitoring body, reported on Sunday it was still possible to transit the strait’s southern route.

Trump also said that Hormuz remained open as he spoke Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press. “We bombed the hell out of them last night,” he said. “They’re very, very evil and sick people.”

Iranian attacks 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.

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.

Trump said Friday that he considered the ceasefire under the Jun 17 interim agreement to be over, adding that Washington would still continue talks with Teheran.

Iranian media 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 Hormuz.

A communication tower was hit in the southern province of Kerman, injuring two people, according to the Mehr news agency.

Recent US–Israeli strikes inflicted “extensive damage” on Iran’s power infrastructure, the semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency reported, citing the head of the state-run power company Tavanir. BLOOMBERG