US launches fresh strikes on Iran as Strait of Hormuz crisis escalates

US launches fresh strikes on Iran as Strait of Hormuz crisis escalates

The United States has launched a fresh wave of airstrikes on Iran, marking the second American military operation against Iranian targets in two days as tensions intensify around the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The latest strikes were carried out on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, with the US Central Command (CENTCOM) saying American forces targeted positions belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

CENTCOM said the operation followed what it described as recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and American service members deployed in the region. (Reuters)

The renewed US military action came two days after American forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz, in the first direct US attack on Iran in about a month.

The US military said IRGC personnel had been preparing to launch rockets and lay sea mines in the waterway. Washington described the operation as a limited action aimed at protecting shipping and US personnel rather than the beginning of a broader offensive. (AP News)

Iran responded to the earlier strikes by launching missiles towards US military positions in Jordan. Jordanian authorities said eight missiles that entered the country’s airspace were intercepted.

The latest exchange has significantly increased the risk of a wider US-Iran conflict, with the Strait of Hormuz emerging as the central flashpoint.

The waterway is one of the world’s most important energy corridors, and disruption to shipping through the strait has already created significant concerns for global oil supplies and international trade.

The situation worsened on Monday when two supertankers carrying Saudi crude oil were struck by unidentified projectiles while passing through the Strait of Hormuz near Khasab, Oman.

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The vessels, identified as the Saudi-flagged Sidr and Liberian-flagged Senegal Prosperity, had each loaded about two million barrels of Saudi crude at the Juaymah terminal before the incidents. No casualties were reported among the crews. (Reuters)

The attacks on the tankers have raised fresh concerns over the safety of commercial shipping through the waterway and the possibility that the conflict could disrupt international energy supplies even further.

Shipping activity through the strait has already fallen sharply, with vessel movements significantly below normal levels as operators assess the security risks associated with the renewed fighting.

The impact has also been felt in international oil markets. Oil prices climbed above $90 a barrel as traders reacted to the renewed US-Iran military confrontation and the possibility of prolonged disruption around the Strait of Hormuz. (The Wall Street Journal)

The renewed fighting has also placed greater pressure on regional governments trying to prevent the crisis from escalating.

Qatar and Oman have been involved in diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing tensions and restoring safer commercial navigation through the waterway, but the latest strikes and tanker attacks have complicated those efforts. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump has defended the latest American military action and warned Iran against retaliating.

Trump said the strikes were justified, citing what he described as Iran’s attempt to deploy sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz and its missile attack on a US military base in Jordan.

He warned that Washington would respond with an even stronger military action if Tehran retaliated against the latest strikes. (Al-Monitor)

Iran, however, has rejected the US position and warned that Washington would face consequences for the renewed attacks.

Iranian officials have continued to insist that Tehran remains open to a diplomatic solution, but President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would respond positively if the United States returned to its commitments under an interim agreement reached in June.

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Pezeshkian’s comments came as regional efforts to restore a ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz faced fresh complications following the latest military exchanges. (Al Jazeera)

The Iranian leadership has also warned that continued American pressure could have consequences for the flow of oil from the Gulf, increasing fears among energy-importing countries about possible supply shortages.

The United States, meanwhile, is combining military pressure with additional economic measures against Tehran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has indicated that Washington could announce further sanctions targeting Iranian financial institutions this week. (Al-Monitor)

The latest escalation has effectively ended hopes that the weekend exchange of fire would remain a limited confrontation.

Instead, the conflict is increasingly centred on the Strait of Hormuz, where military operations, attacks on commercial vessels, threats from both governments and diplomatic efforts are unfolding simultaneously.

Any prolonged disruption to the waterway could have consequences well beyond the Middle East. Higher oil prices, increased shipping and insurance costs and disruptions to global energy supplies could place additional pressure on economies already dealing with inflation.

For Nigeria and other oil-producing countries, developments around the Strait of Hormuz are also being closely monitored because sustained disruption to global crude supplies could influence international oil prices and government revenues.

The immediate concern, however, is whether Iran will retaliate against the latest US strikes and whether Washington will respond with further attacks.

The coming days could therefore determine whether the latest confrontation remains concentrated around the Strait of Hormuz or develops into a much wider regional conflict.

With commercial shipping already under pressure and diplomatic efforts struggling to keep pace with the military escalation, international attention is now focused on Washington and Tehran and whether either side will take steps to prevent another cycle of retaliation.

US launches fresh strikes on Iran as Strait of Hormuz crisis escalates