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The U.S. and Iranian militaries exchanged fire early Tuesday following fresh threats from President Trump to take over the Strait of Hormuz.
The president said Monday that the U.S military would reimpose its naval blockade in the channel and begin charging a 20 percent toll on vessels transiting the strait “immediately.”
This critical trading passage, which carries around a fifth of the world’s oil consumption on a daily basis, has become a key point of contention in the negotiations to end the monthslong conflict. Both sides have laid claim on these waters, leading to stalled trade in the strait and hiked energy prices across the globe.
Rising fuel costs in the U.S. have placed a strain on Americans’ pocketbooks and ramped up pressure on the Trump administration to bring an end to the war. The new strikes endangered the framework peace deal adopted by both sides last month.
Trump insisted in a Monday morning Truth Social post that the strait “will remain OPEN, with or without Iran.”
“The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World,” the president wrote.
U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said its latest round of strikes against Iran stretched five hours and concluded Monday evening at 10:15 p.m. EDT.
The U.S. military struck targets across Iran in an effort to “further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping,” according to the military command.
“CENTCOM forces employed precision munitions against Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities,” Centcom wrote on social media.
Over 50,000 U.S. service members are stationed in the Middle East, according to the agency.
Tehran responded to these attacks with retaliatory strikes on U.S. allies in the region.
The United Arab Emirates said that Iran’s military killed one person and injured eight others in strikes on two of the country’s tankers in the strait.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) took responsibility for the attack and claimed these vessels were “non-compliant.”
The paramilitary also reportedly said that it targeted weapons storage facilities, a satellite communications hub and U.S. military housing at an American base in Bahrain, according to the IRNA News Agency.
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