US reimposes Iran naval blockade as Hormuz ship attacks deepen conflict

Dubai,UPDATED: Jul 15, 2026 16:58 IST

The United States reimposed a naval blockade on Iran and stepped up its air strike campaign on Wednesday, saying the move was in retaliation for Tehran's attacks on ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The latest exchange has further weakened the interim deal meant to pause the conflict, with renewed threats around the key waterway raising the risk of a wider war in the region.

Iranian officials said American strikes hit an army barracks and killed at least seven troops, while more than 260 people were wounded across the country. The fighting comes as negotiations between Washington and Tehran, including over Iran's nuclear programme, have stalled after the 60-day pause agreed under the interim deal.

The US had first imposed the blockade in April and lifted it last month after the interim agreement was signed. Since the war began on February 28, when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, Tehran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic. The disruption pushed up the prices of oil, fertiliser and other goods, while also giving Iran leverage in talks. The higher prices have created pressure on US President Donald Trump and his Republican Party ahead the November elections to Congress, even as Washington has struggled to reopen the waterway.

On Wednesday, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened to stop all energy exports from the Middle East because of the blockade. "The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one," it said.

The US military's Central Command said it carried out a wave of strikes on dozens of targets over seven hours overnight and later resumed attacks during daylight, an unusual move that underscored the rising pace of operations. Iranian state television said one strike hit a barracks of the 388th Mechanised Infantry Brigade in Sistan and Baluchestan province. It said at least 13 missiles were fired and that the seven dead included conscripts and career soldiers. A number of troops were also wounded.

Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said more than 30 people had been killed in recent days, including those at the barracks, but gave no further details. Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said more than 260 people were wounded in overnight strikes alone, a figure far higher than in any other recent round of violence between Iran and the US. He did not say how many were killed overnight. Iran's army said it would make "a decisive response to this aggressive action by the American enemy", according to state television.

Missile alerts sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait early on Wednesday as they came under incoming Iranian fire, part of a pattern seen in recent days. Jordan said it had shot down three incoming Iranian missiles. Iran said it had attacked all three countries, which host US forces. US Navy Admiral Brad Cooper, who heads Central Command, said Iran had launched dozens of missiles and drones at neighbouring Gulf Arab countries. Trump told Fox News on Tuesday night that more US strikes would follow over the next two days and that bridges and power plants could be targeted by next week unless negotiations resume. The US has already struck at least one bridge. "You better make a deal, or you're not going to have anything left," Trump said. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, criticised the American attacks, writing that "The US is the aggressor, not the victim", according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the conflict, with about a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas trade passing through it in peacetime. During the interim deal, some ships had resumed using a route near Oman overseen by the US military and outside Tehran's control. In recent days, Iran attacked ships on that route, setting off more exchanges. The US has said it could reopen the strait by force, though experts say that would require a far larger naval deployment, if not tens of thousands of ground troops. Brent crude, the international benchmark, traded above USD 85 a barrel on Wednesday, more than 15 per cent above its pre-war level but still below the nearly USD 120 seen at the height of the conflict.

When Trump announced the return of the blockade on Monday, he also said he would impose a 20 per cent fee on ships passing through the strait, but later dropped the idea after requests from allies in the Persian Gulf. "They said we'd love to do it a different way. We'd love to invest in the United States with billions and billions of dollars," he told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. It was not clear whether those investment deals would be new commitments compared with what Trump announced after his visit to the Middle East last year. The fee proposal would have marked a shift from longstanding US policy that the strait should remain open to all without tolls. Under the interim deal, Iran agreed that passage would remain free for 60 days, though the agreement did not say what would happen after that period. Iran says it has the right to control traffic and possibly charge fees, a position the US rejects. Regional mediators are still trying to bring Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table as the blockade, strikes and threats around the Strait of Hormuz continue to drive the conflict.

With PTI Inputs

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