The United States reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and launched a new wave of airstrikes on Wednesday, triggering an immediate threat from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and to potentially shut other regional energy export routes. US Central Command said the strikes, which included rare daylight operations, were designed to degrade military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping. Iran’s Health Ministry reported more than 260 people wounded in overnight strikes alone, while government officials said over 30 had been killed in recent days. The renewed hostilities effectively dismantle an interim ceasefire memorandum signed in Islamabad last month, which had paused fighting and set a 60-day window for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and other issues.

Viewed from Washington, the blockade and intensified bombing campaign are a response to what US officials describe as Iranian attacks on vessels attempting to transit the strait, a waterway that normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas trade. President Donald Trump warned that strikes would widen next week to include bridges and power plants unless Tehran returns to talks, though he scrapped a planned 20 percent levy on ships using the strait in favour of trade and investment deals with Gulf allies. US Navy Admiral Brad Cooper stated that Iran had launched dozens of missiles and drones at neighbouring Gulf countries, and Central Command confirmed that hundreds of military aircraft are operating across the Middle East.

From Tehran’s perspective, the US actions constitute aggression, and the blockade is a violation of the interim understanding. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared that “the export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one,” and warned that other export corridors serving US and allied interests could also be closed. Iranian forces claimed attacks on US military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan, all of which host American troops. Jordan’s armed forces said they intercepted three incoming Iranian missiles. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, wrote to the world body that “the US is the aggressor, not the victim.”

The immediate consequence has been a sharp rise in oil prices, with Brent crude trading above $85 per barrel, as tanker traffic through the strait has virtually stalled. Analysts in London note that a prolonged disruption would not only elevate energy costs but also threaten global supply chains for fertiliser and other goods, compounding inflationary pressures. The United Nations has expressed concern over the humanitarian impact of the blockade on populations dependent on maritime imports for food and medicine. The conflict, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, has now entered a phase where control of the strait is the central military and economic lever for both sides.

Mediated talks have not formally ended, but the diplomatic track is in abeyance. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said the renewed US blockade had “in a way, dismantled the Islamabad memorandum.” With the US demanding a return to negotiations under threat of expanded targeting of civilian infrastructure, and Iran conditioning any reopening of the strait on a complete cessation of American strikes, the dossier remains deadlocked. No new talks have been scheduled, and both sides continue to exchange fire across multiple theatres.