The Strait of Hormuz conflict has escalated into open warfare across the Gulf, with the United States completing a third consecutive night of strikes on Iran just hours before a reinstated naval blockade of Iranian ports comes into force.

Both Washington and Tehran now claim to control the waterway. Both are shooting to prove it.

The Latest American Strikes

US Central Command said its most recent operation began at 4:45 p.m. Monday at its Tampa headquarters and ran for five hours. The stated objective was degrading Iran’s ability to attack civilians and commercial shipping in the strait.

CENTCOM said American forces hit military targets across Iran, including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas.

Iranian state television and semiofficial outlets described explosions throughout the night along the southern coast — in Bandar Abbas, on Kish and Qeshm islands, and in the town of Jam in Bushehr province. Iranian media reported at least four people wounded in a strike on the southwestern city of Omidiyeh.

A projectile that landed in western Bandar Abbas caused no casualties, according to the governor’s office.

Tehran claimed successes of its own, with Tasnim reporting that Iranian forces struck several vessels described as “violating” ships in the strait and downed a US-made drone near Bandar Abbas.

Civilian Casualties at Sea

The war reached commercial shipping directly.

The United Arab Emirates said two of its oil tankers were struck by Iranian cruise missiles in Omani waters within the strait. One Indian crew member was killed. Six other Indians and two Ukrainians were wounded.

The Emirati Ministry of Defence warned it reserves the full right to respond.

India confirmed the death of its national, summoned an Iranian diplomat, and lodged a formal protest.

Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that a tanker using the strait’s southern route was hit by a missile on Monday, and advised vessels to transit with extreme caution.

Iran Strikes Across the Region

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a broad retaliatory campaign against US allies and interests throughout the Gulf and into Jordan.

Iranian forces said they conducted a drone attack on American military targets in Kuwait, striking a Patriot missile system, fuel tanks, a watchtower, an ammunition depot, and communication systems.

In Bahrain, the IRGC said it hit:

• Several weapons storage depots
• A satellite communications centre
• A building housing US forces at al-Juffair base
• The US Fifth Fleet, with both missiles and drones

Attacks continued into early Tuesday, with Bahraini authorities sounding air raid sirens at least three times.

Iran also launched ballistic missiles at US forces stationed at an airbase in Jordan — hours after the Jordanian army reported shooting down four incoming missiles.

The Blockade

The naval blockade, confirmed by the US Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center, takes effect at 20:00 GMT Tuesday.

Its terms are specific:

• Vessels bound for destinations other than Iran may still transit the strait
• Humanitarian shipments are permitted after inspection
• Ships suspected of helping Iran evade the blockade through ship-to-ship transfers face boarding
• Non-compliant vessels risk being disabled or destroyed

The measure marks the collapse of a ceasefire reached in June under a US-Iran memorandum of understanding — an agreement once viewed as scaffolding for an eventual peace deal.

Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passed through the strait before the US and Israel began their war on Iran in February.

Who Guards the Strait?

The rhetorical fight is nearly as fierce as the military one.

Trump insisted Monday that the strait remains open, while announcing a 20 percent toll on all cargo passing through it in exchange for American protection.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed the claim outright, declaring that Tehran has always been the guardian of the strait and always will be.

Trump also renewed his demand that Gulf nations help fund the operation, arguing that Washington is protecting a very wealthy part of the world and should be compensated accordingly.

Congress Pushes Back

Trump formally notified Congress on Friday that hostilities with Iran had resumed on July 7, invoking authority to keep US forces in combat for another 60 days without legislative approval.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer rejected the move, noting that both chambers had voted to withdraw American forces and end the war. Trump, he said, must comply.

Talks Not Quite Dead

Despite the shooting, Trump maintained at a Monday news conference that a deal remains possible, claiming Iran’s offensive capabilities are being dismantled.

Reporting from the White House, Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna characterized the administration’s position as keeping the idea of negotiation alive even with nothing actively underway. The ceasefire is over, he said, but the negotiations remain on the table.

The Market Verdict

Traders are not reassured.

Oil surged Tuesday to a four-week high, with Brent crude futures climbing $1.68 a barrel — a 2 percent gain — to $84.98 in early trading.

The more telling number came from ship-tracking firm Kpler: crossings through the strait dropped roughly 52 percent from Friday to Sunday compared with the previous week.

Whatever either government claims about who controls the waterway, the shipping industry has already rendered its own judgment by staying away.