- Centcom says Trump ordered strikes to degrade Iran’s capabilities.
- Iran’s IRGC Navy Announces Hormuz Closure ‘For Now.
- Tehran warned any act of aggression would result in a severe response.
The US military said on Saturday it has launched a new round of strikes against Iran after Tehran “openly attacked” a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest attacks, which began at 7:15 p.m. in Washington (2315 GMT), came “after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces openly attacked” a Cypriot-flagged container ship sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, the US Central Command said in a statement.
“The United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to impair Iran’s ability to attack civilian seafarers and commercial ships freely passing through the strait,” Centcom said, adding that the strikes were carried out at the direction of President Donald Trump.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said simply: “Iran made a bad choice. Now they are paying.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the Strait of Hormuz would be closed “for now,” state media reported.
The guards had fired warning shots at a vessel using an unauthorized route, the reports said.
The move threatens to further complicate efforts to salvage US-Iran talks after both sides exchanged strikes over the past few days.
A key block to a final deal is the future of the Strait of Hormuz, where Tehran insists it will control shipping through the waterway and Washington demands unrestricted navigation.
‘Hormuz shipping plan with two routes’
Araqchi and Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi met in Oman to exchange “views on appropriate mechanisms for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” according to a statement from the Iranian foreign minister. Reuters reported.
Oman’s state news agency said Omani and Iranian negotiators would continue talks “at the technical and political levels.”
CNN reported Saturday that Oman drafted proposals for the strait, including free navigation through its southern corridor in Omani territorial waters. The plan called for vessels transiting the Northern Corridor through Iranian territorial waters to obtain prior approval from Iran, although tolls would not be imposed. CNN said.
The White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the case CNN report.
Washington is demanding that Tehran publicly declare that it will stop attacks on ships in the strait – and that all lanes will be open without tolls, senior US officials have said.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has accused the US of violating the ceasefire agreement. “There can only be mutual compliance,” he wrote on X on Friday.
The United States revoked the license authorizing the sale of Iranian crude on Tuesday after three Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers came under fire earlier this week, prompting the United States to hit Iranian sites. Iran then attacked US military sites in the Gulf states.
