The United States launched strikes against Iran, while Tehran responded by targeting sites across the region on Thursday, as tensions over control of the Strait of Hormuz intensified despite the memorandum of understanding signed in June with the aim of ending the war.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had struck military sites in several Iranian locations, including the city of Bandar Abbas, with the stated objective of degrading Iran’s ability to threaten navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
As the latest round of fighting entered its sixth day, Tehran threatened to target regional infrastructure if Washington carried out its warnings to attack Iran’s infrastructure. According to three sources, Iran also instructed the Houthis in Yemen to prepare to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea if the United States launched strikes against Iran’s power grid infrastructure.
Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, reported explosions in several areas, including Lorestan Province in western Iran and Semnan Province in the north. Air defense systems were also activated in the capital, Tehran.
Iran accused the United States of carrying out a “barbaric” attack following overnight strikes in the country’s southwest near a children’s hospital.
Iranian news agencies also reported that the United States had launched strikes near Qeshm Island, located close to the Strait of Hormuz.
The Fars News Agency quoted local authorities as saying that a “U.S. missile strike” had occurred in the vicinity of Qeshm Island, while the Tasnim News Agency reported that one of its correspondents had confirmed that sites around Qeshm were struck by projectiles fired by the U.S. military.
The United States has reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz following the resumption of the fiercest clashes since the ceasefire that took effect between the two sides in April.
On Tuesday, Iran warned that Washington’s decision to resume the naval blockade of its ports had undermined the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war and paving the way for peace talks.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a central flashpoint in the conflict, which erupted on February 28, 2026, with the start of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Tehran.
Despite U.S. objections, Iran insists there will be no return to the pre-war status quo in the Strait of Hormuz, when vessels could pass without Iranian fees or oversight. Tehran has also threatened to target ships attempting to use alternative routes instead of the single designated shipping lane it has authorized along its coastline.
Control of the strait—which carried about one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies before the war—has given Iran significant leverage, effectively providing it with a powerful strategic bargaining tool.
AFP
