The US and Iran Intensify Attacks Against Each Other, Iranian Media: The Conflict Has Evolved into a War for Control of the Strait of Hormuz

[Global Times Special Correspondent Wang Yi, Global Times Correspondent in the U.S. Li Zhi] The U.S. Central Command announced that on the 13th, it completed a new round of strikes against Iran. This marks the fourth attack by U.S. forces in a week. In response, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to have struck U.S. Air Force bases located in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Meanwhile, the New York Times reported on the 13th that Iranian senior officials have intensified their threats of military force. Currently, neither side shows any signs of backing down from mutual attacks. This round of strikes is undermining the fragile ceasefire agreement reached between the U.S. and Iran and pushing the region into deeper turmoil.

In the latest round of strikes, U.S. forces used precision-guided munitions to target dozens of sites across Iran, including its air defense systems, missile, and drone facilities. The U.S. military stated that the attacks aimed to prevent Iran from attacking commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. According to CNN, the number of targets for U.S. airstrikes against Iran is increasing, and it has now spread beyond the coastal areas of the Strait of Hormuz, indicating that the intensity of this round of attacks is escalating.

On the 13th, Iran's Mehr News Agency reported explosions heard near the southern Iranian port of Abbas and Qeshm Island around noon. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement the same day claiming that it attacked a U.S. military base in Kuwait, destroying two "HIMARS" rocket launcher positions and an ammunition depot. The Revolutionary Guard also struck a U.S. facility and infrastructure in Bahrain, and destroyed a long-range aerial surveillance radar and a ship detection radar located within Oman. Earlier that day, the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace forces destroyed a fuel depot and a "Patriot" air defense system at the Ali Salem Air Base in Kuwait, as well as a strategic-level FPS radar system at the Ahmed Jaber Air Base.

On the early morning of the 13th, the Iranian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the new round of attacks by the U.S. on Iranian territory over the past day, accusing the U.S. of attacking Iran's transportation infrastructure, vessels, and civilian buildings, committing "the most heinous war crimes." The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that these barbaric attacks violate the relevant provisions of the United Nations Charter, seriously threaten international peace and security, and render all efforts made in the past few months to ease regional tensions and establish peace futile. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Karbalaei wrote on social media that any attack "will not go unanswered," and a strategy of "devastating response" must continue against any military aggression targeting Iran.

CNN reported that the latest round of airstrikes confirms that the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement has broken down. U.S. President Trump stated on the 13th that the U.S. plans to control the Strait of Hormuz and will receive compensation for "guarding" this vital waterway.

According to Al Jazeera on the 13th, so far, the planned strikes between the U.S. and Iran remain "relatively limited," but the situation could escalate rapidly. Georgetown University scholar Masgrave stated that both sides are currently trying to figure out each other's "bottom line."

According to Iran's Tasnim News Agency on the 13th, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghaei stated that the memorandum of understanding reached between Iran and the U.S. has "entered a crisis stage." He said that Iran has never been the first to violate its commitments, and the party that has continuously violated its commitments is the U.S. The U.S. is so impatient that even the one-month deadline for Iran to fulfill its commitments regarding the Strait of Hormuz, as stipulated in the memorandum, has not yet expired, and they have begun to backtrack. He also stated that the terms of the Iran-U.S. memorandum regarding the Strait of Hormuz are clear, and the direct responsibility for the recent escalation of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz lies with the U.S. At the same time, Iran maintains contact with Qatar, Oman, and Pakistan, and diplomatic efforts are ongoing.     

The New York Times mentioned on the 13th that the hostilities between the U.S. and Iran have driven up global oil benchmark Brent crude prices, which rose to about $78 per barrel on the 13th, an increase of about 3%. Faced with high oil prices and rising inflation causing public outrage, the U.S. government is eager to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian news agency reported that from Washington's perspective, this conflict may have initially aimed at regime change or been launched under the pretext of Iran's so-called nuclear program, but it has now evolved into a war for control of the Strait of Hormuz.