The United States and Iran each asserted Monday they controlled the Strait of Hormuz after a weekend of attacks stretching across the wider Middle East, further threatening any diplomacy aimed at ending the war.
The attacks, which began when Iran struck a container ship Sunday in the strait off Oman's coast, once again highlighted that the waterway—through which one-fifth of the world’s traded crude oil and natural gas passes—remains central to negotiations. Shipping disruptions have occurred since the war started as Iran maintained what it described as a chokehold on the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf by attacking commercial vessels nearby, intimidating shippers.
Iran and the U.S. are nearing the midpoint of a 60-day interim deal intended to initiate talks for a permanent end to the conflict. Instead, this period has devolved into a series of attacks over the strait and its future, causing concern among world leaders that the Iran war could fully resume.
"A return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences," stated United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement.
### US Claims Strikes Against Iranian Targets
The U.S. military’s Central Command reported that its forces struck dozens of sites on Monday, including air defense systems, radar sites, missile and drone equipment, and small boats.
"The Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global trade," Central Command said. "Iran does not control it."
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, a key power center within the country's theocracy that oversees its ballistic missile arsenal, strongly rejected America's statement.
"The Strait of Hormuz is our territory, and we will not allow a rogue and child-killing army from the other side of the world to continue its illegal interference in it," the Guard stated.
Missile alert sirens sounded three times Monday in Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, while Kuwait reported intercepting hostile fire. There was no immediate information regarding damage in either nation.
In Jordan, the kingdom's military announced it shot down four Iranian missiles in an incident that "resulted in zero casualties or material damage." Jordan also hosts U.S. military forces and aircraft.
Iranian state media acknowledged the latest attacks on its territory early Monday, describing explosions in several locations with at least one person killed.
Iranian attacks on Sunday affected Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, and Oman—whose territorial waters alongside Iran constitute the strait. Oman, which has traditionally served as an intermediary between Tehran and the West, summoned an Iranian diplomat to criticize the attack.
Meanwhile, Monday saw a drone attack on a base belonging to the armed wing of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, an Iranian Kurdish opposition group based in Iraq’s semiautonomous northern Kurdistan region. Rebaz Sharifi, commander of the Kurdistan Militia Corps, reported that the strikes targeted the group's Chamshar base, without providing details on casualties or damage. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
### Focus Shifts to Strait Status
The U.S. military stated early Sunday that it struck approximately 140 targets, including missile and drone launch sites, ammunition dumps, communication equipment, and other locations—a significantly larger number of strikes than in two preceding rounds during the past week.
"We bombed the hell out of them last night," U.S. President Donald Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Iran retaliated by attacking nations hosting U.S. military forces in the region, while simultaneously insisting on its sole control over the strait and suggesting it could charge vessels for transit.
"The era of one-sided deals is OVER," wrote Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, speaker of Iran’s Parliament and a primary negotiator. "We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking."
Iran characterized the strait as closed, whereas the U.S. military and Trump asserted that it remained open.
However, Iran's control over the strait has eased as the U.S. military provided support to vessels traveling along a southern route hugging Oman’s coastline. This new route provoked anger in Iran, which launched repeated attacks against ships utilizing it.
Iran's grip on the strait previously contributed to a global energy crisis, although oil prices have since fallen sharply from wartime highs of $120 a barrel.
### Attacks Follow Diplomatic Discussions
Trump suggested last week that the interim war deal was "over." Nevertheless, mediators, including Pakistan, Qatar, and Egypt, have continued efforts toward reaching a final agreement to end the conflict.
A regional official involved in mediation, speaking on condition of anonymity regarding the talks, indicated that efforts to maintain the ceasefire continued Sunday. Pakistan announced its foreign minister spoke by phone with Iran’s top diplomat, urging "de-escalation" from both sides.
Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen since the war began, vowed in his first statement since the funeral of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Saturday that Iranians would avenge his killing.