US Launches New Strikes in Iran Amid Rising Tensions

The US has launched a new wave of strikes against Iran for a sixth night in a row, according to the US military.

US Blockade Continues

The US Central Command (Centcom) said the attacks were intended to "further degrade Iranian military capabilities." US forces have boarded a vessel as part of its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Centcom added. A US blockade of Iranian ports began on Tuesday night.

Iran's state media reported US missiles struck close to the island of Qeshm, near the strait, as well as in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr – the site of a nuclear power plant. A bridge in Hormozgan province was also hit, according to the BBC, which has verified the attack.

Threats and Escalation

US President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran's bridges and power plants if the country did not return to talks earlier this week. After Trump said in April that the US would bomb civilian infrastructure in Iran, including bridges and power plants, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said "deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure is a war crime."

The 1949 Geneva Conventions on humanitarian conduct in war prohibit attacks on sites considered essential for civilians. Centcom also said marines had boarded an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman as part of the renewed US blockade of Iran's ports.

Diplomacy Remains Open

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that Trump remained open to talks with Iran. "The president will hold them accountable when they turn their back on the words that they state to the United States," she told reporters. "But he is always open to diplomacy at the very same time," she added.

Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, told state media that Tehran had "no reason" to abide by any agreement that did not benefit the country. He added that Iran's national security depended on maintaining what he described as "Iranian arrangements" in the Strait of Hormuz.

Strait of Hormuz Remains Shut

The Strait of Hormuz – a critical waterway off Iran's coast that Tehran effectively blocked in response to US-Israeli strikes – has remained shut. As attacks escalate, the international community waits to see what will happen next.

Source: JOY