By Euronews Persian
Published on
Iran struck two ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, killing one crew member and injuring eight others, as the US reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports and Trump said Washington was “taking control” of the waterway, in the sharpest escalation since the framework deal signed last month.
US strikes also hit the port city of Bushehr — which hosts Iran’s only civilian nuclear power plant — with deputy provincial governor Ehsan Jahanian saying “four points in the city of Bushehr were hit by enemy projectiles at noon,” according to state-run news agency IRNA.
There was no immediate word on damage to the nuclear facility itself.
Further strikes hit Abadan, which hosts the oldest oil refinery in the Middle East, and the port city of Mahshahr, according to Valiollah Hayati, deputy governor of Khuzestan province.
Five explosions were also heard west of Bandar Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state television reported.
Ships struck, Bahrain targeted
The UAE, itself the target of Tehran’s repeated strikes since the war began, said the two vessels were hit by Iranian missiles.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) separately reported that a tanker 13 nautical miles southeast of Limah on the Omani coast was struck by a missile while transiting outbound on the southern route. Authorities were investigating, UKMTO said.
Another tanker was struck 40 nautical miles northeast of Qalhat on Monday, according to UKMTO.
Brent crude rose above $85 per barrel — the first time since prices eased after the June ceasefire — with both Brent and West Texas Intermediate futures climbing roughly 2.5%.
US Central Command (CENCOM) announced the blockade of Iranian ports would be reimposed from 9 pm CET on Tuesday, following Trump’s order. Washington had eased the blockade after the parties reached an interim agreement in June.
Trump said on Truth Social that the US was “taking control” of the strait and floated a 20% levy on the value of all cargoes passing through it, saying any costs incurred by the US in securing the passage would be “offset by charging a 20% rate on the total value of all shipments.”
Iran announced on Sunday that it had closed the strait again, reversing the reopening it had agreed to under the interim deal.
On Monday, US strikes in Hormozgan province killed members of an environmental ranger’s family, including his two sons and daughter-in-law, according to Iranian media.
An official in Khuzestan province separately confirmed two deaths and three injuries from the same wave of attacks.
Bahrain said its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed “several treacherous aerial attacks launched by Iran” on Tuesday morning, accusing Tehran of targeting civilians.
Explosions were heard in the Bahraini capital Manama after warning sirens sounded for the third time since dawn. The IRGC confirmed it had carried out missile and drone strikes on the neighbouring country.
Iran warns Gulf states as parliament tables Hormuz bill
Brigadier General Akraminia, spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters, said Iran would “under no circumstances” allow the US to interfere in managing the strait and warned Gulf states that any cooperation with Washington would be regarded as “an act of war.”
Iran’s parliament, which had been suspended since the outbreak of war in February and resumed sessions on Monday, began work on a bill titled “Strategic action for the security and sustainable development of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.”
Parliamentary National Security Committee head Ebrahim Azizi, confirmed in his post on Tuesday, said the bill had been formally submitted as US drones were being shot down over the region. He said further measures were being drawn up.
A number of MPs have opposed negotiations with the United States and objected to having had no input in the June memorandum. Parliament is headed by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who also serves as Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with Washington.
Iran’s army spokesperson said reopening the strait depended on “respecting the rights of the Iranian nation” and that any attempt to reopen it through military pressure was “doomed to fail.”
China called on both sides to restore safe passage. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press briefing that “the swift resumption of normal and safe transit through this strait is a shared demand of the international community” and that Beijing would “make unremitting efforts to help de-escalate” the crisis.
The Islamic Republic said it had exported around 80 million barrels of oil over the past 26 days despite the withdrawal of US sanctions waivers.
Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said on Telegram that mechanisms had been put in place over recent years to neutralise the impact of US sanctions and that exports would not face difficulties.