US Launches New Strikes on Iran Amid Escalating Strait of Hormuz Tensions

The US military said it has launched another round of strikes against Iran “to degrade their ability to attack commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz”.

The strikes, which took place overnight on Sunday into Monday, came after attacks by the US military on Sunday morning in response to an Iranian strike on a container ship in the critical waterway the day before.

Iran responded to those strikes by attacking Gulf Arab states in an escalating cycle of violence that left the negotiations between Tehran and Washington to end the war at the edge of collapse.

The strikes were the latest in a cycle of attacks and counter-attacks as Iran seeks to assert control over shipping through the strait. However, the barrage marked an escalation in pace and range.

The strikes extended to Qatar, a mediator in ceasefire talks that had not come under attack since April, while the United Arab Emirates, which had not been targeted since ‌early May, said its air defences had engaged missiles and drones from Iran.

In a brief phone interview with Reuters on Sunday afternoon, US President Donald Trump referred to this weekend’s US strikes on Iran. “We’re beating them up,” he said.