ArchiveAboutContact
News in English

US insists Strait of Hormuz is open as it exchanges strikes with Iran

· 2 min read

BBC:

The US insists the Strait of Hormuz is open, despite Iran saying it has closed the waterway amid renewed strikes.

Hostilities, which flared up again this week, continued on Saturday after the US said it had struck more than 140 targets across Iran. The attacks were a response to Iranian forces hitting a ship passing through the strait, which it said was using an unapproved route.

Iran has been trying to assert control over the waterway, and early on Sunday said it was closed until further notice.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also launched wide-ranging attacks on US bases and allies across the region on Sunday, marking an escalation in the scale of hostilities.

It said it had hit a US base in Jordan, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain all said they had responded to missiles and drones from Iran.

The BBC has approached US Central Command(Centcom) for comment on the attack in Jordan.

Qatar, a mediator in ceasefire talks, had not been attacked since April, while the UAE had not been attacked since May.

On Sunday evening, Centcom announced another round of strikes against Iran, which it said started at 17:00 ET (22:00 BST) and would “continue degrading their ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz”.

On Sunday afternoon, Iran’s IRNA news agency said missiles were launched by the “enemy” towards Qeshm Island – a strategically important island in the Gulf, home to an important IRGC base.

The renewed fire has put in jeopardy an interim ceasefire agreement signed last month, which aimed ​to reopen the Strait and eventually bring a permanent end to the conflict.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump declared the Iranian attacks meant the ceasefire was over, while Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US of violating the deal.

However, Trump said talks would still continue and mediators were trying to revive the process.

US media reported that Iran told American officials attacks on tankers earlier this week were a mistake and blamed a rogue internal group.

The latest hostilities were sparked after the IRGC said it had fired a naval cruise missile at a vessel that was attempting to sail along an unapproved route.

Comments are closed.

Related

News in English

Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen graced the closing of the Fourth PEMA Symposium.

10 October 2026: The three-day symposium, held at PEMA Rehab under the theme “Inclusive Mental Wellbeing: Transforming Vulnerabilities to Hope, Healing and Human Connection,” brought together international and local experts and stakeholders to discuss how to make mental health care in Bhutan more proactive, inclusive and compassionate. Addressing the gathering, Her Majesty’s granted a powerful […]

gyalchi
News in English

Russia kills eight people in Ukraine, attacks two vessels in Black Sea

Al Jazeera: Russian forces have launched widespread missile, drone, and artillery attacks across Ukraine, causing civilian casualties while hitting regional infrastructure and commercial shipping in the Black Sea. Ukraine’s Air Force on Saturday reported facing a huge overnight barrage involving 174 drones from across Russia and Ukraine’s annexed Crimean Peninsula, alongside two Zircon antiship missiles […]

Online now: 2 Today: 4256 Total visitors: 6933