The United States launched its third consecutive day of strikes against Iran on Monday, hours after President Donald Trump declared the U.S. is "reinstating" a blockade on the critical Strait of Hormuz.
"We're taking out all of their capability for anything having to do with the Strait, the Hormuz Strait," Trump told CBS News. "And I think in the end we will end up just controlling the whole thing."
U.S. Central Command stated that strikes began at 4:45 p.m. ET, directed by the Commander in Chief. "These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM said in a statement.
This marks the fifth day of American strikes against Iran in the past week. The U.S. previously maintained the strait should remain open to all vessels without tolls.
Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that the U.S. would "hit them very hard tonight and we're going to hit them hard tomorrow — and there's not a damn thing they can do about it." He also claimed the U.S. would collect a 20 percent tariff for securing safe passage through the Persian Gulf, stating on Truth Social that the U.S. "will be, from this point forward, known as 'The Guardian of the Hormuz Strait.'"
Under maritime law, shipowners must be given 24 hours' notice before a blockade takes effect.
Oil prices saw a 5 percent spike, with Brent crude reaching $79.93 per barrel, its highest price since June 19.
Saudi Arabia also launched strikes on Iran's Houthi proxy in Yemen, opening a new front after Iran reportedly attacked five U.S. allies in the region. Houthi rebels in Yemen stated that Saudi warplanes bombed Sanaa International Airport, with a spokesman declaring an "end to the de-escalation phase."
The Strait of Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of the world's oil, has been a key flashpoint since the conflict began in February. The truce collapsed last week when Iran struck three vessels in the strait, leading to U.S. retaliation with two rounds of strikes.
Trump declared the previous agreement "over" during a NATO summit in Ankara. Following an Iranian strike on March 28, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the strait closed "until further notice."
Iran had claimed responsibility for strikes on U.S. facilities in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar. The U.S. has stated that targets included missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, and communication networks, aimed at degrading Iran's ability to attack commercial vessels.