Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Peterson Jr. (DDG 121) sails behind the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) June 27, 2026. Frank E. Peterson Jr. is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East.
Courtesy: US Navy
The US military launched a ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Sunday, aimed at destroying Tehran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
“CENTCOM launched a new wave of strikes against Iran for the ninth consecutive night at 7 pm ET today,” US Central Command said. a post on xHe said these attacks would continue to degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack ships passing through the strait.
The waterway, which before the war handled about 20% of the world’s oil traffic, became the central battlefield of the war that began on February 28, when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran. Oil rose, with Brent crude futures climbing nearly 3% to nearly $90.7 a barrel, while US WTI futures rose 2.5% to $84.6.
The human toll continued to rise over the weekend. The US military said on Sunday that a third US service member was killed in recent fighting with Iran, and that unidentified remains had been found in Jordan after a service member was listed as missing in action, bringing the number of US personnel killed in the nearly five-month war to 17.
Iranian officials said this on Sunday At least 50 people died And more than 500 have been injured in renewed US attacks this month.
The warring powers have stepped up their attacks in the region, raising fears of a return to full-scale war with Washington and Tehran accusing each other of violating a framework agreement signed in June.
Michael Feller, chief strategist at Geopolitical Strategy, said, “The memorandum says little about how the incidents in question will be investigated or how violations in one area would affect obligations elsewhere.” He said the vagueness of the memorandum meant that the first serious dispute soon became a dispute over whether the agreement still existed.
The scope of US strikes targeting civilian infrastructure has expanded in recent days Bonji Desalination Plant Due to which water supply to about 10,000 people was stopped.
Tehran also retaliated across the Gulf with new attacks in neighboring countries including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Kuwaiti officials said last Friday that Iranian missile and drone attacks targeted civilian infrastructure in the country, including a water desalination plant.
The US Embassy in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, said on Monday that it had information pointing to Iran May attempt to target unspecified locations In central Manama, all Americans in the city have been urged to remain vigilant.
Hormuz traffic has slowed to its lowest level in three weeks amid renewed hostilities, According to maritime intelligence firm KeplerOnly eight deaths were reported on Thursday, compared to 15 the day before.
However, US officials insisted the flow was still halted. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday that about two-thirds of pre-conflict traffic – approximately 14 million barrels per day – Moving through the chokepoint. Before the conflict approximately 20 million barrels of crude oil and refined products passed through the waterway.
In an interview with ABC On Sunday, Wright said public reports that most shipping traffic has stopped in recent days are not true. “Not 100 percent yet, but two-thirds flow right now.”