Iran closes Strait of Hormuz: Hegseth says ‘Iran will pay’ after new US strikes

Iran has closed the ⁠Strait of ​Hormuz again after its military struck a vessel attempting to transit the waterway along ‌what it claimed was an unauthorised ​route. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the fresh US strikes ordered by Donald Trump were launched after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked a container ship. CENTCOM said it hit some 140 targets, far more than the previous two rounds, striking missile and drone launch sites, ammunition depots, communication equipment and other military sites. The attacks “degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels freely transiting the Strait,” it said. Iran responded to the US strikes with attacks targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The renewed fighting in the Persian Gulf comes days after Donald Trump suggested an interim deal in the Iran war was “over.” US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote online: “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.” How the escalation unfolded CENTCOM said the vessel hit by the IRGC Navy was the Cyprus-flagged M/V GFS Galaxy, which suffered significant engine-room damage and left one civilian crew member missing. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre later said ⁠the crew of a container ship damaged east of Oman had abandoned the vessel and were in a ​lifeboat. While UKMTO did not identify the ship, the incident appears to be the same one described by CENTCOM. Iranian state ⁠media reported explosions in a number of port cities. Soon after, the IRGC said it had destroyed a command and control centre and drone hangars at a base in Jordan, a key US ally. The United Arab Emirates said its air defence systems were engaging Iranian missiles and drones. Qatar said it had intercepted a missile attack, while ⁠warning sirens sounded in Bahrain and explosions were heard in the Qatari capital, Doha. US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the resumption of strikes in recent days came after what they described as a “rogue faction of Iranian hardliners that tried to sabotage the ceasefire”.Iran insists its theocracy is unified under the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who in his first statement since his father’s funeral, vowed revenge, saying: “It is the will of our nation and must certainly be carried out.” Senior US officials had previously said in Washington that negotiations to further consolidate last month’s deal to end the war could not progress unless the Strait of Hormuz was secure. They also said they wanted Iran to make a public commitment to keeping the waterway open. This story will continue to be updated.