The United States has announced another round of early-morning strikes on Iran, as the two sides continue to exchange attacks over questions of control in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East region, indicated that the latest fusillade was designed to weaken Iran\u2019s attack capabilities.<\/p>\n
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It also underscored President Donald Trump\u2019s role in authorising the attacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt 5 p.m. ET today [21:00 GMT], U.S. Central Command forces began launching more strikes against Iran to continue degrading their ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d the command said in a brief statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Commander in Chief has directed the strikes to hold Iranian forces accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Iranian state media reported explosions in areas near the Strait of Hormuz, including Sirik, Qeshm Island, Jask, and the area west of Bandar Abbas.<\/p>\n
The governorate of Hormozgan province, which borders the strait, said that no civilian casualties have been reported so far.<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s attacks are the latest round of a new escalation in the fighting between the US and Iran, which began on July 7.<\/p>\n
Three rounds of attacks occurred in the last week alone, including on Saturday night, when US Central Command said it struck roughly 140 Iranian military targets.<\/p>\n
The targets reportedly included Iranian sites for drones, missiles, ammunition, surveillance and naval operations.<\/p>\n
Iran has responded with counterattacks against US military installations across the Middle East, including sites in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman.<\/p>\n
The exchange of fire has deepened questions about a memorandum of understanding (MOU) the US and Iran signed last month, bringing all hostilities to an \u201cimmediate and permanent\u201d halt.<\/p>\n
The memorandum was meant to be a springboard to future negotiations between the two sides as they attempted to wind down a war that the US and Israel started on February 28.<\/p>\n
But a key sticking point proved to be the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime artery through which nearly 20 percent of the world\u2019s oil and natural gas flowed before the war.<\/p>\n
Since the start of the war in February, fuel prices worldwide have shot up, as Iran has restricted trade through the waterway.<\/p>\n
Under the 14 points of the memorandum, Iran was meant to make its \u201cbest efforts\u201d to allow commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, with no fees.<\/p>\n
The memorandum also laid out a plan for Iran to \u201cconduct dialogue\u201d with the other country that borders the strait, Oman, to \u201cdefine future administration and maritime services\u201d in the waterway.<\/p>\n
In recent weeks, however, Iran has fired drones at various container ships and tankers passing through the strait, claiming in some cases that the vessels ignored warnings about unapproved routes.<\/p>\n
It considers the matter a question of sovereignty, since the Strait of Hormuz falls within its territorial waters.<\/p>\n
The Trump administration has indicated that it sees those drone strikes as a violation of the memorandum, and it has responded with military force \u2013 first over the course of two days in late June, and four times over the last week, including Sunday.<\/p>\n
US Central Command, for instance, pointed<\/a> to an attack on the Cyprus-registered ship M\/V GFS Galaxy as a reason for Saturday\u2019s intense attacks. Though the drone attacks have been largely non-lethal, the strike on the Galaxy reportedly left a crew member missing.<\/p>\n Iran said on Saturday it has once again shut the Strait of Hormuz to traffic. The US has maintained<\/a> it remains open.<\/p>\n \u201cIran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing,\u201d US Central Command wrote early on Sunday.<\/p>\n