Iran attacked American military bases across five Gulf states over the weekend, deepening a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz and sending oil prices higher Monday morning.
According to CNBC, Iran's strikes targeted U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, and Qatar. The country's state media described the attacks as retaliatory measures in response to renewed U.S. bombings. Sirens sounded for the third time in Bahrain on Monday, Reuters reported, citing the country's Interior Ministry. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and radar systems in Oman as part of its latest round of attacks.
U.S. Central Command said American forces had successfully hit dozens of targets at multiple locations to degrade Tehran's ability to continue attacking vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz. American forces struck Iranian military air defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats using U.S. fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack aerial drones, and one-way attack sea drones for the first time, according to a Centcom post on X.
The Strait of Hormuz sits between Oman and Iran and is one of the world's most critical energy choke points. The narrow waterway typically handles around 20% of the world's oil traffic. The U.S. and Iran issued conflicting accounts over whether the strait remains open to shipping.
The latest exchange cast further doubt over the future of an interim peace agreement signed last month. That deal had sought to pave the way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war after 60 days of negotiations. U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. and Iran had agreed to continue peace talks, but said the ceasefire established in last month's deal had been scrapped.
Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, posted Sunday on social media alongside an image of Article 5 of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, which relates to the reopening of the strait. "The era of one-sided deals is OVER. We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking," Ghalibaf wrote.
Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday condemned U.S. attacks over the last 24 hours, saying the bombings represent a "serious threat to international peace and security," and have "rendered futile all efforts of the past few months to reduce tension and establish peace in the West Asian region."
Oil prices jumped Monday morning as the latest cycle of attacks and counterattacks renewed fears of further disruption to flows through the strait. International benchmark Brent crude futures with September delivery advanced 2.8% to trade at $78.14 per barrel, paring gains from earlier in the session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures with August delivery rose 2.5% to $73.24.
