US and Iran trade strikes again after weeks of relative quiet

On Sunday, the US carried out strikes on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. This was the first US strike on Iran since late July, although tensions have remained high. CENTCOM claimed they struck at a facility preparing to mine parts of the Strait. After the US strikes, Iran retaliated by targeting US military bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

The situation escalated significantly on Tuesday after the US struck several sites across Iran, which the US claimed were IRGC targets. However, the Iranian Red Crescent says that a US attack killed and injured several people attending a wedding in Hormozgan province. Latest reports indicate at least 4 killed, including a 4-year-old child, and at least 50 others wounded.

Iran retaliated later in the day by launching strikes against US military facilities in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait. At present, it appears all these strikes were intercepted with no casualties.

The renewed fighting has once again driven up oil prices and seems likely to further restrict transits in the Strait of Hormuz. Transits of oil tankers had been steadily rising over the past month of relative calm, despite Trump’s declaration of all-out economic warfare on Iran during the lull.