U.S. attacks Iran in response to vessel struck in Strait of Hormuz; Tehran strikes Gulf Arab states
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- U.S. Central Command struck approximately 140 Iranian targets — missile and drone launch sites, ammunition dumps, and communications equipment — "far more than the last two rounds," hitting Bandar Abbas and Sirik along the Strait of Hormuz.
- Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE — the Emirates' first reported targeting in this round — with Qatar and Kuwait saying they intercepted incoming fire.
- Iran struck a Cyprus-flagged container ship hugging Oman's shoreline, causing "significant engine room damage"; one civilian crew member is missing and the crew abandoned the still-ablaze vessel.
- Declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed "until further notice," Iran threatened "additional enemy bases in the region" and warned vessels ignoring its routing instructions.
- Two rounds of strikes on Iran last week killed at least 17 people and wounded 115 others, per Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour.
- New Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement since his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's funeral, vowing revenge for his killing in the war's Feb. 28 opening strikes.
- Oman and Iran's foreign ministers met Saturday; both agreed to keep talking "at the technical and political levels," but Iran offered no concession on reopening the strait to all traffic.
Why it matters: With Iran declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed "until further notice" and firing on four Gulf states, the waterway carrying roughly a fifth of globally traded oil and gas faces renewed disruption, potentially undoing the sharp price decline from wartime highs above $120 a barrel.
