By Chidinma Onwuchekwa
The United States military carried out a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Monday as Iranian forces attacked oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, deepening a fresh exchange of fire that has cast further doubt on prospects for a ceasefire.
The United States Central Command said it launched strikes at the direction of President Donald Trump, who told a radio programme earlier on Monday that Iran would be hit “very hard tonight, and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow. And there’s not a damn thing they can do about it.”
The UAE Ministry of Defence said Iranian cruise missiles struck two Emirati oil tankers, the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, while they were transiting the southern lane of the strait in Omani territorial waters, wounding one crew member and injuring eight others.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency separately reported that a tanker had been hit by an unknown projectile while travelling 40 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Qalhat, adding that all crew were safe. It was not immediately clear whether both reports referred to the same incident.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said two supertankers had been hit and disabled after ignoring repeated warnings and switching off their navigation systems.
The IRGC accused the United States of “inciting vessels to use an illegal route” and warned that cooperation with what it called the “aggressor enemy” would result in damage, delays in reopening the waterway and a global energy crisis.
Iran’s state television also cited the Iranian army as saying it targeted a “hostile” US vessel with cruise missiles and struck US facilities and equipment in Kuwait with drones.
Bahrain’s air defence systems intercepted and destroyed Iranian aerial attacks over the kingdom, according to media adviser to Bahrain’s king, Nabeel Alhamer.
Sirens sounded early on Tuesday in Bahrain, home to a major US military base.
Trump separately announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed charging a 20 per cent fee on all cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, declaring the United States the “Guardian of the Hormuz Strait.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi responded on X, saying Tehran was the guardian of the strait and would remain so “forever,” adding sarcastically: “20% is of course too much.
We will be fair.”
The UN shipping agency said it opposed any such fees, stressing there was no legal basis for imposing mandatory tolls on strait transits.
The US Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Centre said the blockade would take effect at 2000 GMT on Tuesday, applying to all vessel traffic regardless of flag and covering the entire Iranian coastline including ports and oil terminals.
Humanitarian shipments would be permitted subject to inspection, it said.
Vessel activity through the strait declined by approximately 52 per cent between July 10 and 12 compared to the previous week, according to ship-tracking firm MarineTraffic.
(The Whistler)
