The United States carried out a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets on Wednesday and reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, marking the fifth consecutive day of direct attacks. According to US Central Command, the operations included a 90-minute daylight bombardment of coastal defence systems and cruise-missile sites on Greater Tunb Island, followed by a second round of strikes aimed at capabilities used to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. US forces also disabled an oil tanker attempting to reach Iran’s Kharg Island after it ignored warnings, and redirected two other vessels. The Pentagon stated the campaign is designed to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian crews and international shipping.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by declaring the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed “until the end of America’s evils” and warned that all regional energy export corridors could be shut. Iranian state media reported that retaliatory missile and drone attacks targeted US military assets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, with those countries confirming interceptions. The Iranian army said a US strike on a barracks in Sistan and Baluchestan province killed seven soldiers, while the government spokesperson put the civilian death toll from recent strikes at over 30. Iran’s chief negotiator described the conflict as an “essential and existential war with America”, and the foreign ministry said there were currently no plans for negotiations.

Viewed from Gulf capitals, the escalation has deepened security anxieties and disrupted energy markets. Brent crude settled at a one-month high of $84.95 a barrel, and maritime tracking data showed only 21 vessels transited the strait on Tuesday, a fraction of pre-war traffic. Kuwait reported that a naval vessel was struck and four service members wounded, while Bahrain and Jordan activated air defences against incoming Iranian projectiles. President Donald Trump told Fox News that US forces would strike power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran returned to talks, a threat that the UN human rights chief had previously warned could constitute a war crime if directed at civilian infrastructure.

The renewed hostilities effectively dismantle the memorandum of understanding signed in June, which had paused fighting and set a 60-day window for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and regional security. US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the current strikes as “shaping operations” that could prepare the battlefield for more complex missions, including possible ground operations to secure the strait. Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the US blockade had “in a way, dismantled” the interim deal. With both sides publicly ruling out immediate diplomacy, the dossier remains in a state of military escalation, and no new talks have been scheduled.