After about a month-long pause, the US resumed attacks on Iran on Sunday, when it announced it had struck two rocket launchers to prevent them being used to lay naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran retaliated by firing missiles at air bases in Jordan and a drone at the UAE.
The US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on 28 February, killing the country’s supreme leader and other top officials at the start of a massive air campaign. Iran responded by attacking Israel, US bases and allied states in the Gulf with missiles and drones, and effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.
In June, the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that called for an end to hostilities on all fronts and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. It also gave them two months to reach a final deal that covers Iran’s nuclear programme, US sanctions and a permanent truce.
However, the MoU collapsed within weeks, leading to a resumption of hostilities.
Since then, both US and Iranian forces have fired on commercial shipping in the region, with Iran targeting vessels it says have sought to transit the Strait of Hormuz without its permission and the US enforcing a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Last week, the US had indicated that it was switching to economic sanctions on Iran, rather than military options, to try to win concessions and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian officials and state media have largely dismissed the campaign as a continuation of previous US economic measures.
Additional reporting by BBC Persian
