Iran fires on Hormuz tankers as ninth US strike night pushes crude above $90; Tehran says no petrol will pass

Opening of hostilities

US Central Command confirmed that its forces struck Iranian military command centres, air-defence systems, coastal-surveillance posts, naval capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communication networks for the ninth consecutive night into Monday. The strikes, lasting roughly three hours, aim to degrade Iran's ability to attack merchant vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM said.

Iran's semi-official Tasnim agency reported that American missiles hit Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini on Monday morning.

Two tankers disabled on southern route

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced late Sunday that two tankers exploded while attempting to use what it calls the dangerous southern corridor of the strait. The IRGC said the vessels were under US pressure and had switched off navigation systems, ignoring warnings from the IRGC control base.

This corridor will not be safe for the transit of petrochemical products or even a single drop of oil and gas.

Britain's UK Maritime Trade Operations reported a fire on a vessel eight nautical miles northwest of Kumzar in northern Oman. Two other ships abandoned their transit attempts, according to the IRGC.

Oil price reaction

Brent crude for September delivery broke above $90 a barrel during Asian trading on Monday, the first time since 11 June it has crossed that threshold. Brent rose 2.64 percent to $90.43 on ICE, while West Texas Intermediate for August delivery climbed 2.34 percent to $84.42 on NYMEX. According to the Financial Times, prices are up more than 23 percent this month, putting them on track for the steepest monthly gain since March.

Analysts at ANZ noted that tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz had collapsed amid the safety fears. Higher US production was insufficient to offset the disruption in the Persian Gulf, they added.

Regional retaliatory strikes

Beyond the strait, the IRGC launched ballistic missiles at US aircraft stationed at Aqaba airport in Jordan and struck American military assets at Camp Al-Adiri and Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait, as well as targets in Syria. Jordanian authorities said some missiles were intercepted. Kuwait's General Staff confirmed a hostile drone attack, which the IRGC claims destroyed an early-warning radar and an MQ-9 drone hangar at Ali Al Salem; Kuwaiti officials maintain the strike hit a civilian water-desalination station.

Sirens sounded in the Bahraini capital Manama, and the US embassy warned of possible strikes in the city centre. Iran also hit a special-forces command post at Al-Tanf in Syria. Washington confirmed at least three US soldiers killed since Friday, with possible remains of a fourth found in Jordan.

The brief truce and record oil exports

Before the ceasefire collapsed in early July, Iran exploited the one-month window to ship a record volume of crude to China. Between mid-June and mid-July Tehran sold about 70 million barrels of oil worth $5 to $6 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. Roughly 20 tankers departed Iranian ports in late June, including the Diona, Hero II, Sonia 1 and Stream.

Using its shadow fleet and the port of Chabahar, which lies outside the Strait of Hormuz with direct open-water access, Iran delivered close to 50 million barrels of crude and condensate to Chinese ports in just two weeks, a record tracked by tanker-monitoring systems cited by Euronews. Some cargoes were transferred via ship-to-ship operations off eastern Malaysia before reaching private Chinese refineries.

Ceasefire breakdown and sanctions return

The 14-point memorandum signed on 17 June collapsed after less than a month. President Donald Trump declared the truce over at the start of July, and Washington reimposed its blockade on Iranian oil exports. Tehran responded by closing the strait and striking US allies across the region.

We have repeatedly tried to engage with Iran and will continue to do so. If an opportunity for dialogue opens, we will gladly take it.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Aragczi told the IRNA news agency that Tehran would end the war only after gaining military advantage on the battlefield, which would then open the path to negotiations.

Pump prices in Poland

Poland's Reflex brokerage forecasts that average Pb95 petrol will rise to about 7.30 zloty per litre this week, a 20-groszy increase, while Pb98 will reach 8.20 zloty per litre. The return of full-scale conflict in the Middle East and the Hormuz blockade have driven a sharp increase in crude and fuel prices on global markets, Reflex said.