Iran has threatened to close additional trade routes in the region as the United States conducted a new series of strikes on military targets. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards stated that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until U.S. "acts of aggression" ceased, and also warned of further actions to close off other regional oil and gas export channels.
These developments followed statements from the U.S. military's Central Command (Centcom) confirming drone, air, and navy strikes against Iran on Wednesday morning. This latest action came after a seven-hour operation that concluded overnight. The heightened hostilities underscore the Strait of Hormuz's critical importance to the global economy, with oil prices seeing a significant increase as tanker traffic through the vital shipping route has largely stalled.
Centcom reported that the strikes on Wednesday morning "further degraded Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz." Officials indicated that a 90-minute operation targeted Iran's coastal defenses and missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island.
These events follow recent rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump, who vowed to strike Iran's bridges and power plants in the coming week if the country did not re-engage in talks. In an interview that aired Tuesday night, Trump stated, "I'll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we'll hit energy targets."
This escalation in tension occurred after Trump suggested that a previously threatened 20% toll on traffic in the Strait of Hormuz would be replaced by "massive" trade and investment agreements with Gulf states. A prior threat by Trump in April to bomb Iran's civilian infrastructure had drawn criticism from UN human rights chief Volker Türk, who noted that deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure constitutes a war crime under international law.