US launches third straight night of strikes on Iran, reinstates naval blockade

The United States military launched a third straight night of strikes against Iran on Monday, further escalating a conflict over control of the Strait of Hormuz that has rattled global energy markets and strained an already fragile diplomatic process. U.S. Central Command confirmed on X that operations began at 4:45 p.m. ET at President Trump's direction.x+1

The strikes follow two prior nights of bombardment over the weekend that hit approximately 140 Iranian military targets, including missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, and coastal surveillance locations, according to CENTCOM. Across three earlier rounds of strikes beginning July 7, the U.S. had already struck more than 300 targets aimed at degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping.wjcl+1

Blockade and Hormuz Toll

In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz "OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran," while announcing the reinstatement of a naval blockade of Iranian ports, according to Reuters Thomson Reuters Corporation ↗ 2.92%. CENTCOM said the blockade would officially resume Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.reuters+1

Trump also announced a 20 percent charge on all cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz, telling reporters the U.S. would "get paid for guarding" the waterway, according to ABC News. The fee marks an unprecedented assertion of American control over one of the world's most critical shipping chokepoints, through which roughly a fifth of the global oil supply passes.abcnews

Escalation and Diplomacy

The latest escalation erupted after Iran attacked commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz in early July, prompting Trump to declare the June ceasefire — a Pakistan-brokered memorandum of understanding signed on June 16 — "over". Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps retaliated against the initial U.S. strikes by targeting American military assets and allies in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.aljazeera+2

Trump said Monday the U.S. would "hit them very hard" over the coming nights, according to CNN, while also leaving open the possibility of negotiations. Peace talks are reportedly expected to resume next week in Switzerland, with Qatari officials traveling to Tehran to ease tensions. Iran's health ministry reported at least 14 killed and 78 wounded in the earlier rounds of strikes.youtube+3

The Wall Street Journal News Corp ↘ 3.58% has previously reported that Trump was weighing strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, a prospect that loomed over Monday's escalation even as diplomatic channels remained nominally open.iranintl