US Strikes Iran Again, Restores Blockade

The US military said Tuesday that it has reimposed its blockade of Iranian ports in response to Iran's attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as the interim ceasefire deal unravels and concerns grow about a return to all-out war. The US carried out another wave of strikes ahead of reimposing the blockade, US Central Command said. The US first imposed the blockade in mid-April and then lifted it in mid-June, a day after the signing of the interim deal aimed at permanently ending the war, the AP reports. The deal set a 60-day timeline to also negotiate an agreement on Iran's nuclear program, but talks have stalled as fighting over the strait has intensified.

• On X, Central Command said US forces "resumed the naval blockade against vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas" at 4pm Eastern.

When President Trump announced the return of the blockade Monday, he also said he would impose a 20% fee on ships passing through the strait. But he dropped the plan to collect fees hours before resuming the blockade, citing requests from allies in the Gulf.

• Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, said in an interview aired Tuesday by IRIB, Iran's state broadcaster, that the US was seeking to prevent Tehran from exercising what he described as "effective sovereignty" over the strait. "If the US thinks that by tightening its measures against us, its military actions and its economic blockade, we will return to negotiations, it is making a mistake," he said, per Reuters.
• Hours after the blockade was reinstated, Iranian state media reported an exchange of fire in the strait without providing details. Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads Central Command, said Iran had launched dozens of missiles and drones at neighboring Gulf countries. "US forces are holding Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression that continues to endanger innocent lives," Cooper said.
• Trump told Fox News on Tuesday that the US would keep hitting Iran "very hard" until Tehran returns to the negotiating table. He also threatened to attack the country's infrastructure. "Next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants," Trump said. "Next week comes the bridges. We're gonna knock out all their power plants. We're going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate." The 1949 Geneva Conventions ban attacks on sites considered essential for civilians, Reuters notes.