U.S. Reimposes Blockade on Iranian Ports After Strikes on Iran and Attacks in Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. military early Wednesday reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports after Tehran attacked ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The move followed a wave of U.S. strikes that hit dozens of targets across Iran over seven hours, according to U.S.

Central Command. President Donald Trump announced the blockade's return Monday and initially proposed a 20 percent fee on ships using the strait. He reversed that plan Tuesday after calls from Gulf leaders, telling reporters that regional kings and emirs offered instead to invest billions of dollars in the United States.

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Gulf Arab states. Kuwait reported that four of its navy personnel were wounded and a building was set ablaze. Iranian state media said explosions struck Bushehr in at least four locations, as well as Ahvaz and Bandar Abbas.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened Wednesday to halt all energy exports from the Middle East, stating that oil and gas shipments would be available to everyone or to no one. Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, rejected what he called Trump's rude language and pledged that Iran would retaliate to defend every inch of its soil. U.S.

Navy Adm. Brad Cooper said Iran had launched dozens of missiles and drones at neighboring countries. Central Command reported at least 19 U.S. warships in the Arabian Sea, including two aircraft carriers and an amphibious assault ship carrying more than 1,000 Marines, plus hundreds of military aircraft operating across the region.

The blockade had been imposed in mid-April, lifted in mid-June after an interim deal that set a 60-day negotiation window, and now returns as talks stall. Regional mediators, including a Pakistan-led effort, are attempting to return both sides to negotiations. Brent crude oil prices briefly reached $87 a barrel early Tuesday before falling to $78 after Trump's announcement on fees.

Trump told Fox News that additional U.S. strikes would occur over the next two days and that bridges and power plants could become targets next week if talks do not resume.