US-Iran strikes resume over Hormuz shipping control

Global oil shipments face renewed disruption as the United States and Iran exchanged airstrikes and missile attacks for a second night, threatening to unravel a June memorandum of understanding intended to pause four months of war. The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of traded oil passed before February, has become the central point of contention, with each side accusing the other of violating the interim deal's terms on navigation and sanctions relief.

US Central Command stated it struck approximately 90 Iranian military targets on the second night, including air defense systems, coastal logistics sites, and anti-ship capabilities, to degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial vessels. The command said the action followed Iranian attacks on three named tankers—the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, the Saudi-flagged M/T Wedyan, and the Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity—earlier in the week. President Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One, described the US response as retribution and said further attacks on shipping would produce worse consequences, while noting Iran had called seeking a deal.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported strikes on US-linked bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, targeting a Patriot system, fuel depots, and other infrastructure. Iran's Ministry of Health reported 14 deaths and 78 injuries across five provinces from the US strikes, with state media adding specific fatalities including a firefighter at an Iranshahr airport and three people near Ahvaz. Kuwait confirmed interception of missiles and drones, with one injury from debris; Bahrain and Qatar issued security alerts.

The June 17 memorandum, brokered with Pakistan and Qatar, called for a 60-day ceasefire, gradual reopening of the strait under agreed arrangements, lifting of certain US sanctions, and renewed talks on Iran's nuclear program after the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Both sides now charge violations: Iran cites continued Israeli operations in Lebanon and US strikes during the funeral period, while the United States points to Iran's insistence on routing traffic through its northern corridor and attacks on vessels using other routes. Shipping traffic has fallen sharply, with daily transits through the southern route reduced to single figures from a prewar average of 130.

Trump stated at the NATO summit that the memorandum was over as far as he was concerned yet left open the possibility of continued talks. Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf replied that bullying and broken promises now carry costs and that the strait would reopen only under Iranian arrangements. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Qatari officials urged both parties to exercise restraint and uphold the memorandum. No independent verification of casualty totals or specific damage assessments has been reported by neutral observers.