US forces launched new air strikes against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran on Tuesday. US Central Command said the operation followed recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and US troops deployed in the region.

Iranian media reported explosions on Qeshm Island and in the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Chabahar, as well as in Jask and Sirik. The scale of the renewed hostilities remains unclear.

The strikes followed an exchange of fire over the weekend, the first direct attacks between the two sides since July. On Sunday, US forces struck Iran’s Larak Island, prompting Tehran to launch missiles at two US air bases in Jordan. President Donald Trump subsequently threatened to hit Iran “hard” in response, although he said the exchange did not signal a return to full-scale war.

Oil prices rose after the weekend strikes and reports that two tankers carrying Saudi oil were hit by unknown projectiles while leaving the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Iran has effectively closed the strategic waterway to shipping. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that if Iran was prevented from exporting oil from the Persian Gulf, no one else would be able to export oil either.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would reciprocate immediately if Washington honored its commitments under the June memorandum aimed at ending the conflict. The memorandum paved the way for a broader 60-day negotiation period, which passed without a further agreement. Iran has also warned that it will use all its capabilities, both military and diplomatic, if US pressure continues.

(Reuters, bak)