Kashmir Impulse Desk

New Delhi, July 15

The United States intensified its military campaign against Iran on Wednesday by resuming a naval blockade of Iranian ports and launching a fresh wave of air strikes, escalating a confrontation that has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and heightened fears of a wider regional conflict.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces resumed the blockade at 4 pm Eastern Time, preventing vessels from transiting to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas. Hours earlier, it announced another round of strikes targeting Iranian military capabilities that Washington says have been used to attack commercial shipping in the strategic waterway.

More than 20 US Navy warships and hundreds of military aircraft remain deployed across the Middle East, CENTCOM said, describing its forces as “vigilant, lethal and ready.”

Iranian media and local reports said explosions were heard across several southern locations, including Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, Ahvaz, Sirik, Bampur and Qeshm Island, indicating the strikes had spread across a wide geographical area.

CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper accused Iran of deliberately targeting civilian shipping, saying Iranian attacks over the past week had struck seven commercial vessels, leaving nearly a dozen crew members dead, missing or injured.

He also alleged Iran had launched dozens of missiles and drones towards neighbouring Gulf states.

Iran rejected the accusations and insisted it remained in control of the Strait of Hormuz despite the renewed blockade.

The latest escalation came as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for attacks on U.S. military assets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, saying it had inflicted significant damage on American positions in Bahrain. Reuters could not independently verify the claims.

Iran’s Health Ministry said U.S. attacks over recent days had killed at least 35 people and wounded around 300, with most casualties reported from southern provinces. State media said seven Iranian troops were killed in the latest missile strikes.

President Donald Trump signalled no immediate easing of the campaign.

“Strikes on Iran will continue until I say enough,” he told Fox News, while also saying Washington and Tehran had held talks despite the continuing military confrontation.

Trump also abandoned a proposal to impose a 20% charge on cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz, saying Gulf states would instead make substantial investments in the United States.

“I don’t like the concept of a fee, but at the same time, it’s not fair that we’re protecting this Strait for the entire world,” Trump said after meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in Washington.

The US Treasury simultaneously announced fresh sanctions targeting Iranian individuals, companies and vessels as Washington stepped up economic pressure alongside military operations.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian dismissed Trump’s threats, saying Tehran would respond through action rather than rhetoric and would defend “every inch” of its territory.

He urged Iranians to preserve national unity, saying attempts to sow internal divisions would only weaken the country’s ability to confront external pressure.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a quarter of global seaborne oil exports pass, remains under intense scrutiny as the fighting continues. The latest military escalation has unsettled energy markets, with oil prices rising sharply amid persistent disruption to commercial tanker traffic.