Fragile Middle East Truce Wavers Amid US-Iran Fight for Hormuz Control
The fragile truce in the Middle East was in jeopardy on Tuesday after the U.S. and Iran launched new attacks as they wrestled for control of the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. military said on Monday it destroyed six Iranian small boats, as well as cruise missiles and drones, after President Donald Trump sent the navy to escort stranded tankers through the strait in a campaign he called “Project Freedom”.
Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said in a social media post on Tuesday that the security of shipping and energy transit had been threatened by breaches of the four-week-old ceasefire by the U.S. and its allies.
Meanwhile, several merchant ships in the Gulf reported explosions or fires on Monday, and an oil port in the United Arab Emirates, which hosts a large U.S. military base, was set ablaze by Iranian missiles.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Monday’s events showed there was no military solution to the crisis. He said peace talks were progressing with Pakistan’s mediation, and warned the U.S. and the UAE against being drawn into a “quagmire.”
The U.S. military said two U.S. merchant ships made it through the strait, without saying when, with the support of Navy guided-missile destroyers.
While Iran denied any crossings had taken place, Maersk MAERSKb.CO said the Alliance Fairfax, a U.S.-flagged ship, exited the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz accompanied by the U.S. military on Monday.
The commander of U.S. forces in the region said his fleet had destroyed six small Iranian boats, which Iran also denied. Iranian media quoted a military commander as saying U.S. forces targeted civilian boats, killing five civilians.
Iran also said on Monday it had fired on a U.S. warship approaching the strait, forcing it to turn around. Iranian officials later described the fire as warning shots.
Moreover, Iran’s state television network said military officials had confirmed they attacked the UAE in response to the “U.S. military’s adventurism”.
Against this backdrop, oil pricesLCOc1 eased 1% on Tuesday after climbing by as much as 6% in the previous session on signs the U.S. Navy is loosening Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
