Crisis intensifies as US resumes Iran blockade

The United States said on Wednesday it had begun a new wave of strikes against Iran after reimposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports, as the latest cycle of fighting stretched into its fifth day.

The fragile ceasefire between the two countries is collapsing amid days of reciprocal strikes, with both sides locked in a bitter contest for control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The US Central Command said on Wednesday it had hit dozens of Iranian targets over seven hours. Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency confirmed renewed attacks on Bushehr, home to the country's sole civilian nuclear power plant.

Iran's military said seven soldiers were killed in a missile attack on its army barracks near the southeastern city of Iranshahr on Wednesday. State media also reported explosions hitting the city of Ahvaz and the key port Bandar Abbas on Tuesday night.

US President Donald Trump warned earlier he would widen strike targets to power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran returns to the negotiating table.

Asked how long US military operations would continue, he said: "Strikes will go on until I say enough. Next week it gets really bad for them."

Iran's Health Ministry said more than 260 people were injured from overnight strikes alone, signaling a sharp escalation in bombardment intensity. Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said more than 30 people have lost their lives in recent clashes.

Meanwhile, US Senate Democrats blocked a $1.15 trillion annual defense authorization bill on Tuesday over widespread opposition to the White House's Iran campaign.

"Trump started this war without authorization, without a strategy and without an exit plan," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a speech announcing he would vote no.

20% fee

The wave of strikes came hours after Trump scrapped his proposed 20 percent transit levy on Hormuz shipping lanes — a policy at the heart of the regional flare-up that has roiled Middle East security and pushed global energy prices higher.

"I have decided to replace the 20 percent reimbursement fee with trade and investment deals that the various Gulf states will be making into the United States," Trump said on social media.

The renewed US naval blockade took effect at 12:01 am local time. The US first imposed the blockade in mid-April and then lifted it in mid-June, a day after signing an interim deal that set a 60-day period for negotiations over issues such as Iran's nuclear program, but talks have stalled as fighting over the strait has intensified.

There are at least 19 US warships in the Arabian Sea, including two aircraft carriers and an amphibious assault ship with more than 1,000 Marines aboard. The Central Command also said there are "hundreds of military aircraft operating across the Middle East".

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a stark warning on Wednesday that it would halt all regional energy exports in response to the US blockade. "Oil and gas exports from the region will either be available for everyone or for no one," the IRGC said.

"The enemy must understand that its naval forces have blocked Indian Ocean shipping lanes for global oil and gas exports, putting the economic interests of US competitors at risk," it added.

"It should therefore brace for the shutdown of all other oil and gas export routes that benefit the US and its allies."

Oil prices rose immediately amid concerns over shipping security in the strait, with Abu Dhabi's Murban crude, the key Middle Eastern benchmark, jumping $3.79 to $81.93 per barrel, a 4.85 percent surge.

Elsewhere, missile alert sirens blared across Bahrain and Kuwait early on Wednesday. Jordan's military reported shooting down three incoming projectiles. The IRGC claimed it targeted US military sites in the three Gulf nations and inflicted heavy damage on US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.

Agencies contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn