Washington, United States. The United States and Iran exchanged heavy missile and drone attacks on Sunday as Tehran said it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz, extending the conflict to several Gulf states and raising further doubts about an interim peace agreement signed last month. President Donald Trump told Reuters that the United States was “beating them up.”
US strikes and Iranian attacks
US Central Command said it launched fresh strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
A CENTCOM spokesperson told CNN that US aircraft had shot down an Iranian cruise missile and a one-way attack drone. Iranian media reported missile attacks and explosions near the port cities of Sirik and Bandar Abbas, as well as on nearby Qeshm Island.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had struck a command-and-control centre and drone hangars in Jordan, targeted a radar site and rocket launcher systems in Kuwait, attacked US aircraft carrier support and refuelling platforms in Oman, and destroyed a jet maintenance centre and command facility in Qatar.
Gulf states report damage and injuries
Qatar said three people, including a child, were injured by falling shrapnel and held Iran “fully legally responsible.” Qatar had not been attacked since April and had been acting as a mediator in ceasefire efforts.
The United Arab Emirates said its air defences had engaged Iranian missiles and drones. Bahrain intercepted several Iranian aerial attacks, while Jordan reported missile strikes and Oman reported drone attacks.
Kuwait’s army reported damage from strikes, including an attack on an oil drilling platform that injured a worker. Oman summoned Iran’s ambassador to protest the attacks.
Strait closure and shipping disruption
Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority said passage through the Strait of Hormuz was not currently possible because of what it called “recent illegal movements of the United States military forces in the region.” It said permits would be issued once stability and calm were restored.
Iran said late on Saturday that it had closed the waterway after firing a warning shot that struck a vessel travelling on an unauthorised route. On Sunday, it said it had disabled a second vessel.
India said one of its nationals was missing after an attack on the container ship GFS Galaxy off the coast of Oman. Oman said 23 crew members had been rescued. Qatar advised all vessels, including leisure boats, fishing boats and jet skis, to suspend activities.
The United States said Iran did not control the strait and that traffic was continuing. The US Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center said an expanded southern route near Oman remained available for two-way traffic despite what it described as a severe security threat.
Peace agreement under pressure
Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the US attacks as “aggressive” and said talks between Iran and Oman in Muscat on Saturday had failed to produce an outcome. The talks focused on managing the strait and transit routes, and Iran said they had been affected by “overt and covert” US pressure on Oman.
The latest barrage represented an escalation in the pace and geographical range of recent exchanges, further undermining the interim memorandum of understanding signed last month. The agreement had aimed to reopen the strait and end the war after 60 days of negotiations.
Trump has said over the past week that he considers the ceasefire to be over, while leaving open the possibility of further talks.
