US military renews strikes on Iran while tankers come under attack in Strait of Hormuz

DUBAI/WASHINGTON/CAIRO — The U.S. military carried out a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Monday, while two tankers came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump said the United States was reinstating a blockade on Iranian shipping and would ensure the strategic waterway remained open.

U.S. Central Command said it launched the strikes at Trump's direction shortly after the president said Iran would be hit "very hard" during an interview with the Hugh Hewitt Show. Trump later told reporters at the White House that the U.S. was targeting Iranian capabilities in the strait.

Shortly after the strikes were announced, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defense said Iranian cruise missiles struck two Emirati oil tankers, the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, while they were transiting the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters. One crew member was killed and eight others were injured.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency also reported that a tanker was hit by an unknown projectile while traveling about 40 nautical miles northeast of Oman's Qalhat. The agency said all crew members were safe.

Reuters could not immediately confirm whether the UKMTO report referred to the same incident reported by the UAE Ministry of Defense. Iran has not commented on the latest attacks.

"The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Trump also said the United States would be known as "THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT" and would receive a 20% reimbursement on cargo shipped through the waterway.

Iran's top joint military command rejected Trump's statement, saying the U.S. had no authority to determine the future of the strait and would not be allowed to intervene. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran was the guardian of the waterway and would remain so "forever," while responding that a 20% fee was excessive.

Iran Reports Explosions and Attacks

Following the announcement of renewed U.S. strikes, Iranian media reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran's Kish and Qeshm islands, and Abu Musa Island in the Gulf.

Iran's Fars news agency also reported explosions in Jam city in Bushehr province, although the exact location of the blasts remained unclear. No casualties were immediately reported.

Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province was also hit by U.S. projectiles early Tuesday, according to Fars news agency, citing a provincial security official. Four people were wounded and rescue operations were underway.

Iranian state television, citing the country's military, said it had targeted a "hostile" U.S. vessel with cruise missiles and struck U.S. facilities and equipment in Kuwait with drones. Iranian media also reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had shot down a U.S. MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormuz.

The latest exchanges followed earlier missile and drone attacks, extending a conflict that has already destabilized the Gulf region and raised uncertainty over efforts to reach an interim ceasefire agreement.

Dispute Over Strait of Hormuz Fees

The United Nations shipping agency opposed Trump's proposal to charge fees for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, saying there was no legal basis for imposing mandatory tolls on international navigation routes.

Trump had previously suggested that the U.S. could charge shipping fees through the strait, but it remained unclear whether the administration would implement the measure.

The U.S. Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center said the blockade would begin at 2000 GMT on Tuesday and apply to all vessel traffic, regardless of flag, covering Iran's coastline, ports, and oil terminals.

The agency said the measure would not restrict neutral transit through the strait to or from non-Iranian destinations and that humanitarian shipments would be allowed after inspection.

Oil Prices Rise Amid Growing Conflict

Before the conflict began in February, about one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments passed through the Strait of Hormuz each day, carrying more than 15 million barrels of fuel to international markets valued at least $1.2 billion. A 20% fee on cargo could potentially generate about $250 million daily.

Thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, mainly in Iran and Lebanon.

Iran's official IRNA news agency previously reported that U.S. strikes targeted military sites in Qeshm, Bandar Abbas, and Abadan in southern and southwestern Iran. It confirmed that two people were killed in the Abadan attack.

The Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, destroyed radar systems in Oman, and struck fuel tanks and ammunition depots at Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan in response to U.S. attacks.

Bahrain said its air defense systems intercepted several Iranian missile and drone attacks early Monday.

The conflict, launched by the United States and Israel, has spread across the region, with Iran targeting U.S. bases in multiple countries.

Oil prices surged more than 9% on Monday, with Brent crude recording its largest single-day dollar gain since April 2 and reaching its highest settlement since June 12. U.S. crude futures posted their biggest daily increase since April 29, closing at their highest level since June 15.

Rising energy prices, particularly gasoline costs, have become a political concern for Trump ahead of November's midterm elections, which will determine whether Republicans maintain control of Congress.

U.S. officials said around 20 vessels had been escorted through the Strait of Hormuz in the previous 24 hours, although ship-tracking data showed limited traffic. MarineTraffic reported that vessel activity through the strait declined by about 52% from July 10 to 12 compared with the previous week.

-Additional reporting by Menna Alaa El Din, Jonathan Saul, Enas Alashray, Ahmed Elimam, Eman Abouhassira, and Andrew Mills; Writing by Ros Russell, Hugh Lawson, Matt Spetalnick, and David Morgan; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Timothy Heritage, Sanjeev Miglani, and Lincoln Feast/Reuters