US bombs Iran for ninth day as Hormuz deepens | Today’s news
(Bloomberg) — The U.S. carried out a ninth straight day of airstrikes against Iran in an effort to force the Islamic Republic to halt shipping attacks and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military bombed military targets and communications networks in a three-hour operation that ended around 5:30 a.m. Iran time on Monday. Iran continued to attack US bases in Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq.
The standoff shows no sign of easing, with Iran refusing to give up Hormuz and insisting it has the right to control traffic on the waterway. Energy prices jumped due to worsening hostilities. Brent crude rose above $90 a barrel for the first time in more than five weeks in early trading on Monday.
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The increase in US airstrikes against Iran was prompted by continued Iranian attacks on US bases in Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq, as well as threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz is significant because it is a key maritime route through which approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass, making it a focal point for military and commercial interests.
The U.S. military responded by conducting multiple airstrikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure, including command centers, air defense systems, and communications networks, over ten consecutive nights.
The US is currently evaluating ceasefire proposals, but both sides appear determined to strengthen their negotiating positions before committing to a ceasefire due to the recent escalation of violence.
Casualties reported from US airstrikes include more than 50 dead and more than 500 injured in Iran, while at least 17 US military personnel have been killed since the conflict escalated.
Tit-for-eye attacks are getting more deadly. The US military on Saturday announced the death of a service member in northern Iraq during a “directed detonation” of a downed Iranian drone. That was a day after two more were killed in an Iranian attack on Jordan, with another service member still missing in the same attack.
Iran says US strikes have killed more than 50 people and wounded more than 500 since the latest flare-up between the two sides, which began less than two weeks ago.
An interim peace deal between the US and Iran signed a month ago has all but collapsed, and talks on Tehran’s nuclear program and a permanent cessation of fighting have stalled. That is unlikely to change until Washington and the Islamic Republic reach an agreement on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which used to flow through one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas reserves before the conflict broke out.
Shipping volumes have fallen, and the number of tankers and other vessels passing through Hormuz is about the same as when the conflict peaked in March and early April.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran last week that he would escalate airstrikes and expand the range of targets until it backs down. Late Sunday, speaking of the latest American casualties, he said: “Those great patriots out there fought to keep Iran from having a nuclear weapon.”
The latest US strikes were “in honor” of the personnel killed, Trump told reporters.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said his country would not abandon diplomacy but also would not be forced to return to the negotiating table when under US military attack.
“Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf have had global consequences and we have become a global player,” he said in an interview posted on his Telegram channel, emphasizing how Tehran sees control of the strait as a source of leverage over the US and vital to its security. “This is no small thing. The region has realized that it cannot have complete security without Iranian security.”
Iran said the mediators in the conflict — Qatar and Pakistan were the main ones — had turned, though it gave few details.
“The diplomatic apparatus has been active in recent days and the ideas of some mediators have been passed on to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” a State Department spokesman said Monday. “Any deal is only valid and credible when both sides have committed to it, and that’s why, along with the bad faith of the other side, Iran’s commitments have been gradually suspended.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran continues to send signals it wants to negotiate. He also reiterated that Americans see signs of a split between members of the Iranian government who want a peace deal and hardliners who want more fighting.
Kuwait continues to experience some of the worst attacks from Iran. Over the weekend, Kuwait’s main state energy company said an unspecified site had suffered “significant material losses”, prompting its evacuation and numerous injuries, with two power plants and a desalination plant hit in recent days.
Israel said on Sunday it had intercepted an Iranian drone near the Israeli-Syrian border, with Defense Minister Israel Katz warning Tehran that it may resume strikes if the Jewish state is targeted. Last day, Iran fired at the Jordanian city of Aqaba, which is close to the Israeli border.
The US is sending more warplanes to the Middle East, the New York Times reported, citing anonymous US officials. Aircraft include F-35 and F-16 fighter jets as well as aerial refueling aircraft.
–With help from Golnar Motevalli.
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