The United States and Iran exchanged heavy missile and drone strikes on Sunday after Tehran targeted US facilities across Gulf states and declared the Strait of Hormuz closed.
The latest attacks follow several days of fighting that prompted President Donald Trump to declare the end of a ceasefire intended to halt the conflict that began on February 28. Trump, however, said the door remained open for further negotiations.
Iran said it had shut the strategic waterway after firing a warning shot that struck a commercial vessel travelling on what it described as an unauthorised route. Tehran also said it had disabled a second vessel.
The Revolutionary Guards said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until “the end of U.S. interference in this region.”
US Central Command disputed the claim, saying commercial vessels were still transiting the waterway, which carried about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war.
Qatar said three people, including a child, were injured by falling shrapnel during the attacks. The United Arab Emirates said its air defence systems intercepted Iranian missiles and drones, while warning sirens sounded in Bahrain and explosions were heard in Doha.
Iran’s strikes marked a significant expansion of the conflict after Tehran warned that any response to the recent container ship incident would trigger a “severe response.”
The conflict has destabilised the Gulf and disrupted energy markets, with Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz pushing up global oil prices and adding to inflation concerns.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi accused the United States of violating the ceasefire agreement.
“There can only be mutual compliance,” he wrote on X on Friday.
On Sunday, Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf posted on X: “The era of one-sided deals is OVER. We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking.”
Araqchi also met Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi to discuss “appropriate mechanisms for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” while Oman said negotiations would continue at both technical and political levels.
The latest developments come after Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, vowed revenge for the killing of his father and predecessor.
“We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs,” the statement said.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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