Iran attacks tanker in Hormuz as US strikes fail to break strait standoff

Iran struck a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz as the United States launched fresh airstrikes. The attack has deepened fears of a wider war, disrupted shipping and pushed oil prices higher.

In Short

• Interim truce collapsed last month, leaving key energy shipping routes paralysed
• Brent crude crossed USD 88, while US petrol averaged USD 4
• Pakistan emerged as a possible mediator, though fresh terms remained unclear

Iran attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel, as the United States carried out another round of airstrikes on the Islamic Republic over control of the strategic waterway.

The latest escalation came despite 10 consecutive nights of US strikes, which have not pushed Tehran to loosen its grip on the strait. As the two sides moved closer to another all-out war, Iran's interior minister travelled to Pakistan, seen as a key mediator in the conflict, for talks, though it was not clear what new deal could be reached to stop the fighting.

The interim deal signed last month to end the fighting has fallen apart, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has largely stalled. The strait once carried about a fifth of all crude oil and natural gas traded in peacetime. As the conflict has intensified, both sides have also targeted civilian infrastructure used by millions of people.

The fighting has driven oil prices higher in recent weeks. Benchmark Brent crude was trading above USD 88 a barrel on Tuesday, while regular petrol prices in the US rose to an average of USD 4 a gallon, adding to pressure on American consumers ahead of the midterm elections this fall.

Meanwhile, the US military identified two soldiers killed in Jordan in attacks that also left a third person missing. In a separate incident, the military confirmed another death in Iraq on Saturday during the "controlled detonation" of a downed Iranian drone. President Donald Trump wrote on social media on Monday: "Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!"

Trump was due to attend a ceremony on Tuesday evening at Dover Air Force Base, where the remains of at least one service member were expected to arrive, as the conflict continued to widen with more attacks, rising casualties and no clear breakthrough in efforts to restore the collapsed truce.

With PTI Inputs

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