#伊朗宣布关闭霍尔木兹海峡 The Iran-U.S. attacks enter a third round, with the Strait of Hormuz closing again
According to Xinhua News Agency, in the early hours of the 12th, the naval branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed effective immediately, and that no vessels may pass through. The statement said that a few hours earlier, several ships attempted to sail along routes not approved by Iran, disregarding Iran’s prompts and warnings to adjust course. One vessel had its automatic identification system shut off, was hit by Iran with warning shots, and halted its voyage.
The U.S. Central Command later announced that the U.S. military had launched the third round of strikes against Iran this week. “The United States is imposing a heavy price on Iran by continuously weakening Iran’s ability to allow civilians and merchant ships to freely transit the Strait of Hormuz.”
The U.S. Central Command said the latest attack targeted about 140 military sites, including Iran’s missile and drone bases, naval facilities, ammunition depots, communications networks, and coastal surveillance points. Reports said explosions occurred at Iran’s port cities of Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Chabahar, Der, and Assaluyeh.
Iran then launched a counterattack against U.S. military targets located in Arab Gulf countries. According to Iran’s state radio and television, Iran’s military said it carried out multiple rounds of drone attacks on U.S. military targets in Kuwait and Bahrain, while also using multiple ballistic missiles to strike U.S. military facilities at the Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan and the Udaid Air Base in Qatar.
Thomas Warrick, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for counterterrorism policy, said that although mediation efforts continue among the parties, the latest round of clashes could last for some time. Warrick noted that the disagreement between Iran and the U.S. over how to interpret the memorandum of understanding is not a language issue, but rather that neither side has reached any “real consensus” in recent talks.
Iran’s decision to close the Strait of Hormuz came after a series of intense clashes between Iran and the U.S. over the strait. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the Strait of Hormuz would be “closed indefinitely” until “the U.S. stops interference in the region.” The statement also warned that any acts of aggression against Iran “will be met with a harsh response, and any new hostile bases in the region will become targets for strikes.”
So far, neither the Trump administration’s threats nor the bombardments carried out by the U.S. military have been able to force Iran to loosen its control over the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier this week, Iran attacked three ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, after which the U.S. military launched strikes against Iran, and Iran responded by attacking U.S. military targets located in Arab Gulf countries.
As the latest round of conflict broke out, Iran and Oman are working to discuss the future direction of the Strait of Hormuz. According to a statement issued by Iran, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian al-Aragchi met in Oman with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Bu Saeidi, exchanging views on “ensuring appropriate mechanisms for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.” Oman’s state news agency later said that Oman and Iran’s negotiating representatives would continue talks on “technical and political levels” to reach the necessary agreements under international law.
Citing a report by U.S. cable news network CNN on the 11th, Oman has submitted a draft proposal on the strait issue. The draft includes allowing ships free navigation through the southern corridor within Oman’s territorial waters. The report said the proposal requires ships to obtain Iran’s prior approval when transiting the northern corridor within Iran’s territorial waters, but no transit fees would be charged.
