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New strikes near Hormuz
The United States launched new air strikes on Tuesday against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran after the IRGC carried out “recent attempted attacks” against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against “American service members deployed to the region.”
“American service members deployed to the region”
The BBC said the strikes came as state media reported explosions and that Centcom began striking IRGC targets at 12:00 ET (16:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
Reuters reported that the U.S. strikes followed a weekend exchange of fire that was the first since July and after two tankers were hit on Monday leaving the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed to shipping.
The Spokesman-Review said explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas and Chabahar in southern Iran as the U.S. extended a back-and-forth of fighting with neither side prepared to cede control over the Strait of Hormuz.
In response to the renewed strikes, Iran’s state media and officials said retaliatory missile and drone attacks on “US bases and interests in the region” had begun, according to the BBC.
Threats and competing claims
In a statement carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces said Iran would deliver “devastating and painful blows” against the U.S. military in response to the strikes.
Trump told Fox News that the U.S. strikes targeted Iranian forces who were rebuilding radar systems, and he threatened that the U.S. would hit Iran “much harder” if it retaliates.
The BBC reported that Trump warned Iran would be hit again at “a much harder and higher level” if it retaliated, while the IRGC said the U.S. would regret the strikes.
The Spokesman-Review said U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sought to play down the importance of Hormuz on Tuesday, saying the strait would eventually become irrelevant due to the increased use of oil pipelines.
Reuters added that the U.S. Embassy in Qatar urged Americans in the Middle East to exercise “heightened vigilance and be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions.”
Sanctions, negotiations, and risk
The Reuters report said the strikes threatened to reignite the six-month-old conflict that has driven global energy prices higher and weighed heavily on President Donald Trump’s popularity at home.
“60-day negotiation period — which passed without further agreement”
It also said the MOU to extend a ceasefire signed in June had expired, leading to a resumption of hostilities, and that the MOU paved the way for a broader 60-day negotiation period — which passed without further agreement.
Reuters quoted Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf saying, “If the enemy wants us not to export oil from the Persian Gulf, no one will be able to export oil,” and it quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei saying Washington was “addicted to making excessive demands and has mistaken negotiations for dictating terms.”
The Spokesman-Review said the exchanges followed weeks of relative calm during which the Trump administration said it was pivoting from military action to applying economic measures to pressure Tehran.
In parallel, the BBC said Washington announced a fresh sanctions campaign on 24 August aimed at further isolating Tehran and expanding secondary sanctions against its allies, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that if the U.S. returned to committing to the agreement, Iran would reciprocate.