The United States on Tuesday reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and launched a new wave of airstrikes against Iranian military targets near the Strait of Hormuz, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM). The blockade, which entered into force at 16:00 Eastern Time, bars commercial vessels from entering or leaving Iranian ports, while the strikes targeted missile and drone facilities, naval assets, and coastal defence systems. More than 20 US Navy warships and hundreds of military aircraft are now operating across the Middle East, CENTCOM stated.

Viewed from Washington, the operations aim to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the strategic waterway. President Donald Trump, who had earlier announced a 20 per cent levy on cargo transiting the strait to fund US security operations, reversed that plan on Tuesday, saying Gulf states would instead conclude trade and investment agreements with the United States. The White House has framed the blockade as a necessary measure after Iran allegedly violated the terms of a ceasefire agreement signed in June, which Washington says required Tehran to keep the strait open to all traffic.

Tehran, however, rejects that interpretation. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi declared that Iran no longer considers itself bound by the 14-point Islamabad memorandum of understanding, arguing that the core commitment—an immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities—had been abandoned by the United States. He cited the resumption of the naval blockade and continued Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon as evidence that the ceasefire framework had been dismantled. Iranian state media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had struck US airbases in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation, and Tehran insists it will exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz regardless of the cost.

The collapse of the truce marks a return to the pattern of direct military confrontation that began in April, when the US first imposed a two-month blockade on Iranian ports, diverting more than 140 vessels and disabling nine that defied orders. The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of global oil consumption passes, has become the focal point of a wider conflict that now spans multiple fronts, including attacks on oil tankers and US bases across the Gulf. The United Nations human rights chief has warned that a prolonged disruption of maritime traffic could have severe socioeconomic and humanitarian consequences.

With the ceasefire effectively void, both sides are signalling a prolonged military campaign. The US has notified Congress of renewed hostilities and continues to strike Iranian targets nightly, while Iran has vowed to continue its attacks on American positions in the region. No new diplomatic channel has been announced, and the previous framework, brokered in Islamabad, is now considered inoperative by Tehran. The immediate focus remains on the enforcement of the blockade and the potential for further escalation along the Strait of Hormuz.