Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has warned that “the era of one-sided deals is OVER” amid escalating tensions with the US over the Strait of Hormuz. His statement was shared alongside an image of Article 5 of the MoU related to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, with a line stating “the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements” highlighted.
The US on early Sunday launched the third round of airstrikes in Iran after hitting some 140 targets. The strikes were came after Tehran shut the Strait of Hormuz once again “until further notice”, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacking another vessel in Hormuz for using the “unauthorised route.”
In a post on x, CENTCOM wrote, “U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) completed a third round of strikes this week against Iran, July 11, holding Iranian forces accountable for attacking another commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz.” It added, “U.S. forces hit approximately 140 Iranian military targets with precision munitions launched by land- and sea-based fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels. Targets included Iranian missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks, and coastal surveillance locations.”
It mentioned that during the three nights of strikes carried out this week, the military hit over 300 targets to downgrade Tehran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels freely transiting the strait. Iran is response targeted US allied Gulf nations including Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE.
Public warnings were issued in UAE on early Sunday as explosions were reported in Qatar. A missile alert was sounded after Qatar intercepted an incoming Iranian missile. Island kingdom, Bahrain also activated air raid sirens. Kuwait’s General Staff of the Army said its forces are responding to “hostile aerial targets” detected in the country’s airspace.
In the Strait of Hormuz, a Cyprus-flagged container ship was hit by Iran and suffered “significant engine room damage” and a civilian crew member is missing, US Central Command said. The UKMTO which oversees British military said ship had been travelling along the Oman coastline while it was hit.
The IRGC claimed that multiple vessels “disregarded their warnings and instructions to correct their course and proceed along the approved route. One of them “was struck by a warning shot and brought to a stop.” It said issuing another warning announcing the closure of the strategic waterways. Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia accused Washington of creating an “illegal route” through the Strait of Hormuz, saying it had increased insecurity in the region. He added tht Iran’s armed forces would “firmly” defend the country’s interests and added that the military was continuously updating its “bank of targets.”
The attack comes a day after Iran and Oman foreign ministers held a delegation on ships and US retaliation that undermined the interim ceasefire deal. The narrow strait sits in both Iran and Oman’s territorial waters, but long has been considered an international waterway