US Iran Ceasefire Unravels Further as Both Sides Trade Fresh Strikes

The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran has continued to deteriorate this week, with both countries trading fresh military strikes that have deepened fears of a wider regional escalation around the Strait of Hormuz.

American forces struck dozens of targets across Iran in the early hours of Monday, with US Central Command saying the operation hit military air defence systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities and small boats, using fighter aircraft, naval vessels and, for the first time, one way attack sea drones.

Iran retaliated with strikes on American military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, according to state media, further undermining a truce that had extended an earlier ceasefire and briefly reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic.

The exchange follows an earlier round of US strikes over the weekend that reportedly hit around 140 targets across Iran, after President Donald Trump said he considered the ceasefire effectively over following Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in the strait.

Despite the escalation, diplomatic efforts have continued behind the scenes, with Pakistan and Qatar working to bring both countries back to the negotiating table, and US officials describing a strategy of striking and pausing to allow room for talks.

The renewed hostilities have rattled global energy markets, with oil prices climbing on fears of further disruption to flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor that typically carries around a fifth of the world’s oil traffic.