US launches third night of strikes on Iran as Trump announces Hormuz blockade

The strait of Hormuz. It remains unclear how easy it would be for the US navy to reinstate a maritime blockade on Iran. Photograph: Razieh Poudat/AP View image in fullscreen The strait of Hormuz. It remains unclear how easy it would be for the US navy to reinstate a maritime blockade on Iran. Photograph: Razieh Poudat/AP US launches third night of strikes on Iran as Trump announces Hormuz blockade American president says ships will be charged for safe passage through strait in apparent policy reversal Middle East crisis live – latest updates The US has launched its third consecutive night of strikes on Iran hours after President Donald Trump said Washington would reinstate a maritime blockade on the country and, in an apparently policy reversal, charge ships for safe passage. “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 US military’s Central Command said. Trump had earlier told the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt: “We’re going to hit them very hard tonight and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow – and there’s not a damn thing they can do about it.” He added: “They have nothing. They have nothing going, other than they have big mouths.” Until now, the US had said the strait should remain open to all without tolls – as it was before it and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February. Any attempt by the US or Iran to charge fees would violate global norms on freedom of navigation and would be likely to cause further economic disruption far beyond the region. Oil price graph The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 7.8% to $81.92 a barrel on Monday, still well below the $120 (£90) reached at the height of the war. Earlier on Monday, Trump had said the US would demand a 20% tariff on all cargoes shipped through the key passage. He suggested in a post on his Truth Social platform that the US should be known henceforth as the “guardian of the strait of Hormuz”, as Iran and the US engaged in some of the heaviest drone and missile exchanges since an interim deal was negotiated to bring an end to the conflict. Trump has made numerous claims and threats during the war on Iran, including frequent claims of victory, many of which have had little grounding in reality. On Monday evening the US Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center said the US would begin enforcing the blockade on Iran, covering all ports, oil terminals and coastal areas, on Tuesday night. A statement read: “Any vessel suspected ‌of entering or departing the blockaded area without authorisation ​is subject to interception, diversion and capture. Noncompliant vessels may be legally compelled with ⁠force.” The centre ​said ​neutral transit through ​the strait of ​Hormuz heading to ‌or ​from ​non-Iranian destinations will not be impeded. It remains unclear in practical terms how easy it would be for the navy to do this. View image in fullscree