Waves of US attacks on Iran, Tehran retaliates with attacks on countries across the Middle East

The United States (US) launched several waves of attacks on Iran this morning and last night in response to an Iranian attack on a container ship, while Iran retaliated by attacking countries across the Middle East, the Beta news agency reports.

Iranian state media reported that several locations in Iran were attacked and at least one person was killed, and Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it had begun a new round of attacks across the Middle East.

The US Central Command said that today's strikes hit dozens of targets in Iran, including air defense systems and radars, as well as missile launch equipment, drones and speedboats.

"The Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global commerce. Iran does not control it. U.S. forces stand ready to ensure freedom of navigation for commercial vessels despite Iran's continued unprovoked aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary statements," Central Command said.

Exchange of attacks and rising oil prices

A Reuters report said US and Iranian forces exchanged heavy missile and drone strikes, with Tehran targeting US facilities in Gulf states and announcing it had closed the key Strait of Hormuz again, sending oil prices soaring.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said on Monday it had targeted US military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait, destroyed radar systems in Oman and hit fuel tanks and ammunition depots at Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan in its latest response to a new wave of US strikes, Reuters reported.

The attacks are the latest in a cycle of strikes and counterstrikes as Iran seeks to establish control over maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. But this wave of attacks represented an escalation in intensity and scope.

The US military said that during operations on Sunday, using aircraft, warships and drones, it targeted Iranian military air defense systems, coastal radar positions, missile and unmanned capabilities, as well as smaller vessels.

The renewed violence further calls into question the future of an interim US-Iran deal, signed last month, aimed at reopening the strait and ending the war after another 60 days of negotiations, according to Reuters.

In a telephone conversation with Reuters on Sunday afternoon, US President Donald Trump addressed the attacks on Iran over the weekend.

"We're hitting them hard," he said.

Over the past week, Trump has said he believes the ceasefire is over, but he has left open the possibility of continuing negotiations.

Iran's chief negotiator, Mohamad Bagher Ghalibaf, announced on the X network on Sunday: "The era of unilateral agreements is OVER. We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking at the door."

The war launched by the US and Israel against Iran on February 28 has destabilized the Gulf, with Iran targeting US bases in countries across the region. Iran's effective blockade of the straits has sent energy prices soaring and fueled global inflation.

The Revolutionary Guard said in a statement today that the only way to restore regular maritime traffic through the strait is to end US military interventions in the waterway, warning that "continued interference could lead to major incidents in the global oil and gas sector."

The price of Brent crude oil rose 4,3 percent today, to $79,31 a barrel, although it remained well below the highest levels recorded earlier during the war.

Higher prices, especially for gasoline, are a politically sensitive issue for Trump ahead of the congressional elections in November.

US officials said about 20 ships had been escorted through the strait in the previous 24 hours, although vessel tracking websites showed traffic was light.

A series of strikes

Reuters reports that Iran is seeking to establish a permanent system of toll collection in the strait, through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed before the war, and has warned ships not to sail without its approval.

Iran said late Saturday it had closed the waterway after firing a warning shot that hit a ship traveling an unauthorized route. On Sunday, it said a second ship had also been disabled.

Iran's recently established Persian Gulf Strait Authority said on Sunday that passage through the strait is currently not possible due to "recent illegal activities by US military forces in the region."

Permits will be issued "as soon as stability and peace are restored," the administration said.

The US, which last Tuesday revoked a permit exempting the sale of Iranian crude oil from sanctions after earlier attacks on ships, said its forces were deployed to protect freedom of navigation, despite what it described as Iranian "aggression, harassment, threats and arbitrary statements".

"Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing," it said.

The Joint Maritime Information Center, run by the US Navy, reiterated its recommendation that, despite the serious security threat, an "extended" southern route near Oman is available for two-way traffic.

US Central Command said on Saturday that US forces had struck 140 Iranian military targets and that more than 300 targets had been hit over three nights this week, "to degrade Iran's ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels freely transiting the strait."

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said over the weekend that it had destroyed a command and control center and drone hangars in Jordan, a US ally, targeted a US radar site and then missile launcher systems in Kuwait, attacked US aircraft carrier support and refueling platforms in Oman, and destroyed an aircraft maintenance center and command facility in Qatar.

Clashes on Sunday too

Tehran attacked Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, and Oman yesterday, Beta reported.

The US military said on Sunday it had struck about 140 targets, including missile and drone launch sites, ammunition depots, communications equipment and others.

Iran has retaliated by attacking countries in the region where US troops are stationed, insisting that it must control the strait itself and charge ships for passage through it.

The US military and US President Donald Trump claim that the strait is open, while Iranian authorities claim that ships cannot pass.

Iran has been attacking ships in the Persian Gulf since the start of the war on February 28 and the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.