US-Iran conflict deepens as Hormuz shipping slumps

The Middle East crisis deepened this week as the United States and Iran exchanged fresh strikes, while commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz dropped sharply amid mounting concerns over maritime security.

Iranian armed forces launched attacks on US military infrastructure in Gulf states on Thursday following US strikes on Iran's southern coastal and eastern provinces, further eroding a three-week-old ceasefire.

Iranian media later reported multiple explosions across southern Iran, including Bushehr, where one of the country's nuclear plants is located, as well as Konarak, Choghadak and Bandar Abbas.

A US official said there had been no American strikes in recent hours.

Iran: 'bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free'

The attacks came as Iran buried its late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a shrine in Mashhad, capping a week of funeral processions and rallies.

Iran on Thursday strongly condemned US "military aggression" against Iranian ports, coastal areas and maritime infrastructure over the past two nights, saying the strikes had endangered maritime safety and security.

Speaking at the 137th session of the Council of the International Maritime Organization in London, an Iranian representative criticized the US for invoking freedom of navigation while attacking maritime traffic control facilities and safety equipment established to protect vessels and seafarers.

Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also the country's chief negotiator with the US, said on X that America "still hasn't learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free."

"Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you'll get hit," he wrote.

Shipping through Strait of Hormuz slows sharply

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said the US attacks and intervention in redirecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz were disrupting the waterway's reopening.

The Guards said the number of vessels transiting the strait under Iranian supervision had recovered to about 50% of pre-war levels over the past two weeks, adding that permission was being granted only to ships using routes designated by Tehran.

Any further US intervention will draw a "crushing response," the Guards said.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has plummeted following clashes between Iran and the US, according to a UK-based maritime data firm.

Lloyd's List Intelligence reported transit by traceable vessels through the US-coordinated sea lane off Oman was "effectively grinding to a halt" in response to the latest violent confrontation.

"The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through US threats," Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, wrote on X.

Oil prices fell back on Thursday after spiking on concerns that the fighting would disrupt global supplies.

'Technical talks continue'

Despite the tit-for-tat strikes and condemnations, Washington was still committed to finding a resolution with Iran and "technical talks continue" on Iran's nuclear issues, Reuters reported, citing a US official.

Israel says 'ready for immediate action'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed on Thursday that Israel would not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, saying "our policy is clear: with an agreement or without an agreement, Iran will not have nuclear weapons" at an air force pilots' graduation ceremony.

In addition, Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir said Israel was "closely monitoring developments in Iran and Lebanon and ready for immediate action," while Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military was "alert and ready for the resumption of the campaign."

(With input from agencies)