Iran Claims Strait of Hormuz Closed Amid New Attacks; US Denies

Tehran. Despite Iran announcing the Strait of Hormuz closed amid new attacks, the United States has claimed the waterway remains open. Tensions that flared again this week continued on Sunday.

After Iran attacked a ship, the United States said it had attacked more than 140 Iranian targets. Iran claimed the ship was attacked because it used a route without permission.

Iran, attempting to maintain control of the waterway, said on Sunday morning that the route was closed until further notice. Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched widespread attacks on US bases and allied countries in the region on Sunday, further escalating tensions. Iran claims to have attacked a US base in Jordan, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain have reported resisting missiles and drones from Iran.

There had been no attacks in Qatar since April and in the UAE since May, where Qatar has been mediating ceasefire talks. On Sunday evening, Centcom announced another round of attacks against Iran.

The US says this attack will weaken Iran's ability to attack commercial ships and civilians moving freely through the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday afternoon, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported that the enemy had fired missiles towards Qeshm Island, a strategically important island in the Gulf and an IRGC base.

This new tension has put the interim ceasefire agreement signed last month in crisis. The purpose of that agreement was to reopen the waterway and permanently end the conflict. Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump declared that Iranian attacks meant the ceasefire was over, while Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US of violating the agreement.

However, Trump said talks would still continue and mediators were trying to revive the process. According to US media, Iran told US officials this week that the attacks on tankers were accidental and that internal rebel groups were responsible.

The latest tension began after the IRGC fired a naval cruise missile at a ship that tried to travel through a route without permission. According to Centcom, the IRGC