DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — American forces carried out strikes against Iran in the early hours of Tuesday, just hours after President Donald Trump declared that the United States is “reinstating” a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also floated the idea of charging other nations’ ships a fee for safe passage through the strait — a dramatic reversal of longstanding American policy backing freedom of navigation on international waters.
Iran wasted no time responding, launching attacks on Bahrain, Jordan, and two oil tankers linked to the United Arab Emirates that were traveling through the strait. One mariner was killed and eight others were wounded in the tanker strikes. The UAE threatened to strike back against Iran, potentially pulling the country — home to both Abu Dhabi and Dubai — into direct combat with Tehran.
At the heart of the conflict is a struggle between Iran and the U.S. for dominance over the strait, which in peacetime carried roughly one-fifth of all globally traded crude oil and natural gas. Benchmark Brent crude oil prices climbed to a one-month high of more than $84 per barrel in early Tuesday trading — still far below the nearly $120 peak reached at the height of the conflict, but high enough to threaten rising costs worldwide.
The U.S. military’s Central Command announced strikes on locations near Abu Musa, Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Chahbahar, Jask, and Konarak, saying the targets included Iranian “coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites and maritime capabilities.” Iran confirmed that strikes occurred near those areas but did not immediately release any figures on casualties or damage.
“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the U.S. military stated.
Shortly after the military’s announcement, Trump described the operation as “another major attack.”
“We’re hitting them very hard. And it’ll continue, and we’ll see what happens,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “We’re knocking out all of their offensive capability and we’re controlling the straits. We’re putting the blockade back.”
Trump also expanded on his proposal to collect tolls from ships transiting the strait — a reversal of a position he had previously taken against such charges.
“We’re protecting a very rich portion of the world,” he said. “We’re spending money. And so, what we’ve done is, we are going to be reimbursed for protection.”
This marks a significant departure from prior U.S. policy, which held that the strait should be freely open to all vessels — as it was before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Any move by either the U.S. or Iran to impose transit fees would run counter to international norms on freedom of navigation and could trigger further economic disruption well beyond the Middle East region. The U.S. Navy has championed freedom of the seas dating back to the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812.
The UAE’s Defense Ministry confirmed early Tuesday that Iran struck two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, firing two cruise missiles at vessels identified as the Mombasa and the Al Bahiyah. Both tankers caught fire as a result of the attacks, though crews were able to extinguish the flames.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard took responsibility for the strikes, claiming the two vessels “ignored repeated warnings.”
“They chose to pass through a minefield and were subsequently targeted and disabled,” the Guard stated.
The UAE’s Defense Ministry identified the casualty as one Indian national and said six other Indians and two Ukrainians were among the wounded. The ministry issued a stern warning, saying: “The UAE reserves its full right to respond to this escalation and to take all necessary measures to protect its territory, its citizens and residents.” The Emirates used similar language prior to launching earlier attacks against Iran during the conflict. Residents in Dubai reported hearing fighter jets overhead Tuesday morning.
Bahrain also faced renewed missile attacks early Tuesday as part of Iran’s retaliation. Missile warning sirens sounded three separate times, with authorities urging the public to take shelter. No immediate reports of casualties or damage emerged from those strikes.
Jordan’s military said it intercepted four Iranian missiles, according to a statement carried by the country’s state-run Petra news agency. Jordan, which hosts American forces, has faced repeated attacks from Tehran in recent days.
The U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the U.S. Consulate in Dubai informed American citizens early Tuesday that consular appointments were canceled through Wednesday, citing “the regional security situation.”
On Monday, Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that the agreement reached last month was “built to test” Iran, adding that “when you’re dealing with sleazebags (agreements) don’t mean much.” He added, “They didn’t honor the test.”
Iran maintains it has the right to oversee traffic through the strait and to potentially collect fees under the terms of the interim peace deal — a claim the U.S. rejects. The American military and the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization have worked to establish an alternate shipping lane through the strait along Oman’s coastline, outside Iranian jurisdiction. Iran has attacked ships using that route, arguing the U.S. is violating the interim deal. American forces have responded with strikes on Iran, which has in turn launched attacks on U.S.-allied Arab nations.
Recent exchanges of fire had already raised serious questions about the durability of the interim peace agreement. Washington had previously lifted a blockade it put in place in mid-April as part of that deal, which also called for the strait to be fully reopened.
“We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE,” Trump posted on social media. “All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait.”
Trump said the U.S. would be “reimbursed” at a rate of 20% of the value of cargo to offset “any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security.” The U.S. military announced the blockade of Iranian ports would resume at midnight local time Wednesday in Dubai.
