US attacks Iran, striking Kish, Jam, Qeshm Islands, Bushehr, Bandar Abbas. Iran hit US sites in Kuwait. Trump announced a blockade on Iranian ports and a fee for Hormuz Strait transit. UAE tankers were hit.
US President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday that the US military would reinstate its blockade on Iranian ports and that Washington would become “THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” entitled to a 20% fee on all cargo transiting the waterway to cover security costs. All countries other than Iran would have “fair and open use of the Strait,” he wrote, adding that the US had struck Iran hard after Tehran repeatedly broke past agreements. CENTCOM said the blockade would resume Tuesday at 4 pm ET, barring vessels from Iranian ports and coastal areas.
The UAE’s Defence Ministry said two of its national tankers, the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, were struck by Iranian cruise missiles in the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz within Omani territorial waters, according to Reuters. One Indian crew member aboard the Mombasa was killed and eight others wounded, including four seriously, the ministry said, adding that fires on both vessels had since been brought under control. The UAE called it a “blatant attack” and said it retained “its full right to respond to this escalation.”
Elsewhere in the region, Yemen’s Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for a strike on Sanaa airport and said they had responded with missiles at the kingdom, while Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile, according to CNN, appearing to end a de facto truce between the two. Israeli forces continued strikes on Gaza and Lebanon, even as the European Commission and other countries launched a $1bn initiative to fund aid and recovery projects for Gaza.
Follow for more developments in West Asia.
