Tehran (AFP) – The United States and Iran traded strikes on Thursday for the second day running as Washington and Tehran battled over the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The vital oil shipping corridor is a flashpoint in the Middle East war, with Tehran insisting on control of the strait despite it being open to free passage before the US-Israeli attacks in February.
After the foes traded attacks on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was “over,” but left the door open to more talks and added any strikes would end quickly. US forces said the latest attacks against Iran were aimed at “their ability to threaten the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” citing recent strikes against commercial ships in the waterway. The US Central Command reported that they had struck approximately 90 military targets, including missile and drone storage as well as military logistics sites along Iran’s coastline.
Iran’s reprisals came quickly, with the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) claiming they had struck “key infrastructure and facilities” at US bases in Arifjan and Ali Al Salem in Kuwait, as well as Juffair and Sheikh Isa in Bahrain. An AFP journalist heard blasts in Bahrain’s capital Manama, and Kuwait reported intercepting “hostile missile and drone attacks.” American strikes reportedly hit a railway bridge in Iran’s northeast, and the official IRNA news agency reported strikes on a military base in coastal Bushehr, which hosts the nation’s only civilian nuclear power plant.
Earlier, warplanes were heard over Iran’s Kish Island, and explosions rocked the port cities of Bandar Abbas, Konarak, and Chabahar, part of which lost electricity, according to IRNA. “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday. “If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Late on Wednesday, while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump mentioned that the Iranian side had “called a little while ago” and that they wanted “to make a deal so badly.” He did not provide further details of the call — including who was on the line — but expressed doubt over the value of any deal, calling the Iranians “sort of crazy.”
Iran’s chief negotiator said Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened only under “Iranian arrangements.” “The United States still has not learned that bullying and breaking its promises no longer come without consequences,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated on X. “Let me be clear: If you strike, you will be struck.” Since the US-Israeli strikes triggered war in February, Tehran has insisted on controlling the strait, stating it will charge fees for passage and threatening to strike vessels that deviate from its authorized route. Its military had already struck at least three ships in recent days, leading to extensive US strikes against Iranian targets on Tuesday.
The latest strikes occurred just ahead of the Thursday burial of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s former supreme leader, who was killed at the outbreak of the war on February 28. UN chief Antonio Guterres called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, as did Pakistan, a key mediator in the US-Iran talks. Iran reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Qatar’s prime minister had spoken over the phone on Wednesday and “underscored the importance of using diplomatic means to resolve regional issues.”
Both the United States and Iran claimed they had hit dozens of targets in the initial wave of attacks, with Iranian state television reporting that eight Iranian military personnel had been killed. CENTCOM stated its forces struck more than 80 targets on Tuesday, while the Guards claimed to have hit dozens of US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain. Notably, the latest attacks by Iran did not result in any American casualties or cause major damage to facilities, according to a US military official.
Oman, which sits on the other side of Hormuz from Iran, condemned the targeting of Bahrain and Kuwait, along with the strikes on ships, but without blaming Iran. The former mediator has maintained a neutral stance throughout the war, avoiding blame on Iran for attacks, which is being tested by ongoing talks with Tehran over the administration of Hormuz.
Washington seeks to ensure free passage for ships, while Iran is insisting on fees and has refused to allow vessels to pass through Omani waters. All three vessels recently struck were sailing close to Oman, which proposed a temporary transit corridor hugging its coastline. Maritime traffic had tentatively resumed after Washington and Tehran signed a deal to end hostilities last month; however, almost 6,000 seafarers remain stranded in the area, as confirmed by International Maritime Organisation chief Arsenio Dominguez on Wednesday.
© 2024 AFP
