U.S. and Iran Trade New Strikes as Tehran Closes Strait of Hormuz
Pentagon says American forces launched a third round of strikes in a week after Iran attacked a container ship in the vital shipping channel
The United States and Iran escalated their military confrontation over the weekend, with U.S. forces launching a third round of airstrikes on Iranian targets in a week after Tehran attacked a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the Pentagon said, according to CNBC.
Iran responded with missile strikes on U.S. military sites in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar and closed the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed a "crushing response" to any further American attacks, according to Al Jazeera.
The exchange threatens one of the world's most critical oil shipping corridors and raises the risk of a broader regional war. CNBC reported that Iran had been attacking vessels using a shipping route along Oman's coast that is protected by the U.S. military, while Tehran has demanded ships instead use a northern route running through Iranian waters — a dispute the Pentagon said triggered the latest U.S. strikes.
The rapid succession of attacks and counterattacks marks the most intense U.S.-Iran confrontation in recent memory, with both sides signaling no immediate sign of de-escalation.
— Compiled from reporting by Al Jazeera and CNBC.