Ninth night of US strikes on Iran stalls Hormuz, pushes oil past $90
A ninth night of US airstrikes on Iran has collapsed an interim ceasefire and stalled traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing Brent crude above $90 a barrel and threatening European energy security.
The United States completed a ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Monday, targeting military command centres, air defences, and missile launch sites across the country. The campaign follows the deaths of three American service members, two killed by an Iranian attack on a US base in Jordan and a third during the controlled detonation of a downed drone in Iraq. "We'll see what happens but we hit them very hard again tonight," US President Donald Trump told reporters, stating the strikes were in honour of the "three great patriots".
Iran responded by launching what its Revolutionary Guard called a "surprise attack" on an enemy command centre in Syria, while air defence systems in Kuwait intercepted incoming hostile fire. "Any explosions heard are a result of air defence systems intercepting the hostile attacks," the Kuwaiti army said on X. Bahrain also sounded its missile alert sirens on Monday morning.
Oil prices surge as shipping stalls
The immediate consequence for European markets has been severe. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has once again largely stalled, driving Brent crude above $90 a barrel on Monday. This renewed disruption to global shipping erupted despite an interim ceasefire that had been agreed upon after Iran initially attacked vessels transiting the strategic waterway.
The escalating conflict places fresh pressure on European governments to intervene. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio explicitly urged other nations to share the military and financial burden of protecting merchant vessels. "It's clear that Iran, at least some people in Iran, want to control the straits and hold that as leverage against the world," Rubio said. "The United States will do and continue to do what it needs to, to protect global shipping, but other countries need to begin to step up and provide, whether it's hardware or finances, to help carry that burden."
Washington has simultaneously tightened its economic stranglehold, reimposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports to halt crude oil shipments. Saturday's US airstrikes also hit civilian infrastructure, destroying a desalination plant that cut off water to about 10,000 people and damaging another on Qeshm Island. Three bridges were struck, including a route leading to Bandar Abbas, Iran's main port near the strait's narrowest point.
Diplomatic off-ramps appear to be closing. Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, declared Trump's signature on the interim ceasefire "worthless and invalid" in a statement read on state television. A negotiator subsequently announced Tehran was suspending its commitments to the agreement, as Khamenei warned of "unforgettable lessons" if American attacks continue.
