The US military have reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports, following Tehran’s attacks on ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Responding to the blockade, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened to halt all energy exports from the Middle East.
“The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one,” it said.
Another wave of US strikes on Iran, and Iranian attacks on shipping and US allies, have again threatened the progress of an agreement to open the strait, which is a key waterway to the world’s energy supplies.
The first blockade was imposed by the US in mid-April, and then lifted it in mid-June, a day after signing the interim deal that set a 60-day period for negotiations over issues like Iran’s nuclear program.
However, talks have stalled as fighting over the strait has intensified.
When US President Donald Trump announced the return of the blockade on Monday, he also said he would impose a 20% fee on ships passing through the strait.
However, he dropped the plan to collect fees hours before resuming the blockade, citing requests from allies in the Persian Gulf.
Both the US and Iran launch attacks
The US carried out another wave of strikes as it reimposed the blockade, striking dozens of targets over seven hours, the US military’s Central Command said on Wednesday.
Missile alert warnings went out in Bahrain and Kuwait early Wednesday morning as they faced incoming Iranian fire. This has been a daily occurrence, further straining a ceasefire in the war.
Jordan also said it shot down three incoming Iranian missiles. Iran claimed attacks on the three nations.
US Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads Central Command, said in a statement that Iran had launched dozens of missiles and drones at neighboring Gulf Arab countries.
“US forces are holding Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression that continues to endanger innocent lives,” Cooper said.
There are currently at least 19 US warships in the Arabian Sea, and Central Command said in a social media post that there are “hundreds of military aircraft operating across the Middle East.”
When the US and Israel launched the war on Iran on 28 February, Tehran effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz by attacking and threatening ships. That sent the price of oil, fertilizer and other goods soaring globally.
Iran has more recently attacked ships moving through the strait on a route near Oman overseen by the US military that is outside Tehran’s control, setting off the recent violence.
The US has threatened to reopen the strait by force — but experts say that would require a much bigger armada if not tens of thousands of ground troops.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, criticised America’s ongoing attacks targeting his country.
Trump told Fox News Channel on Tuesday night that more US strikes against Iran were coming over the next two days.
“You better make a deal, or you’re not going to have anything left,” Trump warned.
Interim deal hangs in the balance
Under the interim deal, Iran agreed that passage through the strait would remain free of charge for 60 days — but the agreement left open what would happen after. Iran asserts it has the right to manage traffic and potentially charge fees. The US has disputed that.
The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, briefly topped $87 (£64.86) early on Tuesday, still well below the nearly $120 reached at the height of the war. The price dipped to $78 (58.15) in the aftermath of Trump’s announcement that he had changed course.
Regional mediators meanwhile are still trying to get the United States and Iran back to the negotiating table.
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