Iran trade threat amid fresh US strikes, blockade
The US has resumed a blockade on Iran and launched more air strikes while Tehran threatens shipping corridors in the fight to control the Strait of Hormuz.
The US has begun a new wave of strikes against Iran after reimposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran is threatening to shut off more regional energy exports.
The strikes mark the latest escalation of attacks and counterattacks launched by the two sides as they vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the war.
“At 6am ET today, US Central Command forces began launching a wave of strikes against Iran,” the US military said.
“The strikes are designed to further degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The US statement gave no further details and there were no immediate reports of attacks in Iranian media.
Late on Tuesday, the US military said it had hit dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas in strikes lasting seven hours.
It also threatened on Wednesday to shut off more regional energy exports, saying the US “must brace for the closure of all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies”.
The US has said Iran had attacked seven commercial ships in the past week, leading to nearly a dozen crew members being killed, missing or injured.
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The war, which began with US and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, triggered Iranian attacks on Gulf states that host US bases and caused major disruption to global energy supplies, raising fears of a surge in inflation.
An interim ceasefire deal in the conflict signed last month was meant to lead to further negotiations and a permanent truce, but a return to talks has faltered.
-with AAP
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