U.S. Airstrikes Hit Iran for Fourth Day as Blockade Returns and Iranian Missiles Strike UAE Tankers

The U.S. military conducted airstrikes against a small number of military targets in Iran on Tuesday for the fourth consecutive day. The strikes addressed emerging threats from Tehran and occurred hours before the Navy reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports at 4 p.m.

EDT. The blockade applies only to vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports or carrying Iranian cargo. On Monday the U.S. struck dozens of Iranian military targets in Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa and Bandar Abbas.

Last week the U.S. military hit more than 300 targets across southern Iran in four rounds of strikes. President Trump announced he would not impose a 20 percent tolling fee on cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

He stated he reversed the decision after receiving calls from kings and emirs offering investment deals and would instead pursue trade and investment agreements with Gulf countries. Iranian forces targeted two United Arab Emirates tankers in the strait with cruise missiles on Monday, according to the UAE Ministry of Defense.

The vessels MT Al Bahiyah and MT Mombasa carried 46 crew members, including 30 Indians.

The attacks killed one Indian seafarer and wounded several others. India summoned Iran's deputy chief of mission in New Delhi on Tuesday to protest the attacks. Projectiles struck Iran's Gulf island of Qeshm at 19:00 Tuesday, Iran's state broadcaster reported.

Explosions were also heard in Kuwait City as Kuwait's army intercepted hostile aerial targets. The blockade ran from mid-April for about two months before being lifted under a memorandum of understanding signed last month that extended a ceasefire by 60 days.