US Steps Up Strikes on Iran and Disables First Tanker Under the Blockade
American forces launched two fresh waves of strikes on Iran on Wednesday, hitting coastal-defence and missile sites and a military barracks, and for the first time since the naval blockade resumed they disabled a ship trying to run it. US Central Command said an aircraft fired missiles into the smokestack of the Curaçao-flagged tanker Belma after it ignored warnings and headed for Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil-export terminal. Iranian officials reported casualties from the barracks strike, with at least seven troops said to have been killed. President Trump called the ceasefire “over” but suggested Tehran “do want to settle”.
Disabling the Belma turns the blockade from a declaration into an act: Washington is now physically stopping ships bound for Iran’s main oil terminal, and every owner watching will think twice before sailing. That is the point — to choke the export revenue that funds Tehran’s war — and it tightens the squeeze on a strait that already carries a fifth of the world’s oil past the fighting. The move to daylight strikes, and the hit on a barracks, mark an escalation in both tempo and target; Iranian casualty claims are self-reported and should be treated with caution, but the barracks strike suggests the US is now going after personnel, not just hardware. Trump’s mixed signal — the ceasefire dead, yet Tehran said to want a deal — keeps a diplomatic door ajar even as the bombing intensifies. Watch whether any owner defies the blockade next, whether the barracks toll is confirmed, and whether the “settle” hint turns into real talks through Qatar and Oman.