Strait of Hormuz Heats Up as Iran and US Exchange Attacks Again

Tehran (ANTARA) - Iran’s armed forces launched a missile attack on US troops to retaliate against the US strike on an Iranian-flagged tanker, according to Iran’s national television report on Thursday (7/5), citing military sources. On Wednesday (6/5), the US Central Command stated that its forces had disabled an Iranian-flagged tanker in the vicinity of the Gulf of Oman. However, the Iranian report did not specify whether the two incidents were related. After facing fire from Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz and sustaining damage, the US ships withdrew, the report stated, though without detailing when it occurred. Meanwhile, on Thursday as well, explosions were reported in western Tehran, with the Mehr news agency confirming that air defence systems were operating in the Iranian capital. The US also reportedly launched strikes on Qeshm Port and the city of Bandar Abbas, according to a Fox News report citing senior US military officials. However, the US views the strikes it carried out as not intended to restart the war. The US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on 28 February, resulting in damage to infrastructure and civilian casualties. On 7 April, Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire. However, subsequent negotiations in Islamabad have not yielded any agreement. US President Donald Trump then extended the ceasefire to give Iran more time to prepare a “joint proposal”. This escalation has caused shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to nearly come to a complete halt. The strait is a key route for oil and LNG supplies from Persian Gulf countries to global markets. As a result of the disruption, oil prices have risen in many places.