Americans attack Iran again, which retaliates with strikes across the Middle East

The United States carried out new strikes on Iran early this morning just hours after President Donald Trump said Washington was reimposing a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump also hinted that he would charge ships to pass through the strait, reversing a centuries-old US policy that supports freedom of navigation around the world.

Iran responded to the US attacks with strikes on Bahrain, Jordan and two United Arab Emirates-bound tankers sailing through the strait, killing one sailor and wounding eight.

The Emirates threatened retaliation against Iran, potentially drawing that country back into fighting with Tehran.

The attacks come at a time when both Iran and the US are seeking to establish control over the strait, through which a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas trade passes in peacetime.

The price of benchmark Brent crude rose to a monthly high of over $84 in trading today, although that is still well below the nearly $120 a barrel at the height of the war, but it threatens to raise costs everywhere.

The US military's Central Command said it struck areas around Abu Musa, Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Chahbahar, Jask and Konarak, targeting Iranian "coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites and naval capabilities." Iran confirmed the strikes around those areas, but did not provide a casualty figure or damage estimate.

"These strikes will continue to inflict heavy casualties on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," the US military said.

Shortly after the military's announcement of the new attacks, Trump said it was "another major attack."

"We're hitting them very hard. And that's going to continue and we'll see what happens," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "We're destroying all offensive capabilities and controlling the strait. We're bringing back the blockade," he said.

Trump also provided new details about his administration's decision to change its stance by suggesting it would charge shipping fees for ships passing through the strait, although he had previously indicated he would not do so.

This is a change in US policy, which has so far been that the strait should remain open without tolls, as it was before the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. Any attempt by the US or Iran to charge for passage would be a violation of global norms of freedom of navigation and would increase tensions and likely cause further economic disruption far beyond the region.

The UAE Ministry of Defense announced early this morning that an Indian citizen was killed and six Indians and two Ukrainians were wounded in an attack on two tankers, adding that it reserves the right to take all necessary measures to protect its territory.

The ministry said Iran launched two cruise missiles at the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah tankers. Both tankers were damaged in the attacks, but the fires were extinguished.

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for the attacks on the tankers, saying they ignored repeated warnings.

"They chose to pass through a minefield and were therefore targeted and disabled," the Revolutionary Guard said.

Bahrain also came under fresh attack early this morning as Iran retaliated against the latest round of US airstrikes. Rocket sirens sounded twice in Bahrain, warning citizens to take shelter. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties in the attack.