Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

What Donald Trump's latest announcement of a new blockade on Iranian ports means in practice remains unclear.

Many US allies are likely to balk at the prospect of reimbursing the US and paying 20% of all cargo shipped - and his detractors at home and abroad are likely to point out that the strait was open and unencumbered before Operation Epic Fury began on 28 February.

The announcement could also become politically complicated for the president domestically.

Some lawmakers - including Republicans - had openly questioned what the US gained from the ceasefire, its extension and further negotiations.

Many Americans are also likely to wonder why - despite repeated promises to the contrary - oil prices are inching up again. Trump is not on the ballot for the upcoming midterm elections, but other Republicans are and will be hearing from constituents concerned about prices.

The announcement could also be a bid to restart negotiations and push other countries to be more involved, a tactic that Trump has used in the past.

In a few hour's time we will hear from Trump on-camera, when he may provide more detail about the announcement.

Image source, Reuters

This is not the first time Trump has blockaded Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.

In April, US forces announced they would intercept or turn back vessels travelling to or from Iran's coast. The US wanted to restrict Tehran's ability to profit from oil exports in an attempt to put pressure on the country.

The UN's maritime agency, the International Maritime Organisation, says no country has a legal right to block shipping in straits used for international transit.

"We're not going to let Iran make money on selling oil to people that they like and not people that they don't like," Trump said at the time.

Iran called the move "piracy".

The two countries had agreed to lift the blockade and reopen the Strait of Hormuz in the interim deal - or memorandum of understanding - agreed on June 17.

This time round, Trump has also imposed a charge of 20% on all cargo shipped through the vital waterway, but he did not explain how this would work.

US President Donald Trump has just said the US will reinstate the blockade on Iranian ports.

Here's his Truth Social post in full:

"The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait.

"The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as 'THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,' but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World. The process and formation will begin immediately."

Videos show separate fires near Iranian airport and port on Strait of Hormuzpublished at 15:18 BST

15:18 BST

Image source, Telegram

By Shayan Sardarizadeh and Benedict Garman

A large fire at a hangar at Aghajari Airport in Omidiyeh, south-western Iran, has been captured in footage apparently showing the aftermath of overnight US strikes on Iran.

Multiple videos and still images captured around half a mile east of the airport show the same incident. From that distance it is unclear whether the hangar itself is on fire.

Elsewhere, verified video captured at Suru Beach Park in Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz shows an orange glow and a plume of black smoke rising in the direction of Shahid Bahonar Port, south-west of the city.

In another statement shared on Tasnim news agency, a spokesman for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says the US has "seriously jeopardised the security of global oil and gas supplies" by interfering in the Strait of Hormuz.

The statement adds that Iran continues to control the strait and "will force foreign powers and their allies to submit to the will of the Iranian people".

"We will bring them [the US] to even greater humiliation and despair in their new acts of aggression," it says.

Oil prices jumped at the start of trading this morning after the latest tit-for-tat attacks, but remain significantly below the peak seen at the height of the conflict.

Iran's top military headquarters, Khatam al-Anbiya, says it will not allow the US to "interfere in the management" of the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement shared by Iran's Tasnim news agency, the Iranian military says "frequent misadventures" from the US in the strait have "seriously jeopardised the security of the region".

It adds "we do not and will not allow" the US to control the crucial waterway - and that Iran's armed forces are dealing with any disturbances from the "bandit army" of the US.

Any cooperation with the US will be considered an act of "war" against Iran's sovereignty, it adds, warning that if the conflict spreads "the flames of war will engulf all the countries of the region".

Earlier today, Donald Trump said the US was "taking over the strait".

More now from Donald Trump's phone call with Fox News.

He says Iran had an "11-hour meeting" yesterday, adding that "everything was agreed to", seemingly referring to a deal with the US.

"Everything is 11 hours with these guys," he adds. "It should be one minute."

But he says Iran then left the room and called back, saying "we had to make a couple of changes".

"Always changes, you know, they're professional negotiators, that's all they are. I don't even call them good at it... they've got nothing from me," he says.

He accuses Iran of "tapping" presidents along for 47 years, including Clinton, Bush, and Obama - who, he says, was "the worst of all".

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Donald Trump has said the US will "probably run" the Strait of Hormuz, claiming that Iran "broke" a deal that was made with the US.

Speaking to Fox News, the US president says: "We are taking over the strait. They have nothing. They've got nothing."

He says the US hit Iran "very hard last night", referencing a series of strikes carried out by US Central Command (Centcom) overnight on military assets in the country.

Trump adds: "We have them. We have them in the run. Most of their equipment is gone. Their anti-aircraft stuff is gone."

Iran's embassy in the UK said earlier on Monday it has established a temporary safe maritime corridor "free of technical and military barriers" in the strait, but that US military aggression has turned the waterway into a "high-risk zone".

• We'll have more from Trump's interview on Fox in our next post

Yemen airport incident is a significant escalation in largely dormant conflictpublished at 13:54 BST

13:54 BST

Sebastian Usher
Global affairs correspondent

The details of the incident at Sanaa Airport remain unclear, but it already appears to be the most significant escalation in the largely dormant conflict between the internationally-backed Yemeni government and the Houthis for several years.

Both sides are supported by rival regional powers - the government by the Saudis and the Houthis by Iran. That's why the Houthis have immediately accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out airstrikes on Sanaa Airport.

A spokesperson for the movement said that it would not pass "without a response and punishment". That raises the prospect of reigniting direct conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.

Reports of a tanker being approached by several small boats off the coast of Yemen will also raise concerns that the Houthis may be reactivating attacks on shipping.

We have an update now on the reports Yemen's army had targeted a runway at Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.

Houthi media now says the Iranian plane has landed.

As we explained earlier, the Houthis are backed by Iran and control Sanaa, while Yemen's internationally-recognised government is based in Aden in the south of the country.

Image source, Reuters

Yemen's armed forces have reportedly targeted the runway of Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing, according to Yemeni state media.

Yemen's capital Sanaa is under the control of the Iran-aligned Houthi group, while the internationally-recognised government, which has the backing of Saudi Arabia, operates out of Aden in southern Yemen.

The Houthis have called it a "blatant and unjust aggression" in a post on Telegram. "We affirm that this aggression will not go unpunished," says Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sarea.

Commercial vessel movement remains restricted in Strait of Hormuzpublished at 13:08 BST

13:08 BST

Image source, MarineTraffic

By Shruti Menon

A small number of vessels appear to be moving through the Strait of Hormuz although traffic remains restricted, according to the ships we can track on the website MarineTraffic.

Two vessels - Wilmot and Seafaith - appear to be sailing east into the Gulf of Oman with their location transmitters switched on according to tracking data.

Wilmot is broadcasting Pakistan as its destination without specifying a port and Seafaith is sailing to Sohar in Oman.

Two other ships, Evalovia and Aisana, stopped transmitting their locations after previously appearing to head out of the strait. Their current locations cannot be confirmed.

MarineTraffic tracking showed Wilmot, Evalovia and Seafaith each altered course while outbound towards the Gulf of Oman and had reversed direction. Wilmot and Seafaith have resumed their outbound journeys. Evalovia also appeared to turn back towards the Gulf of Oman before it went dark - meaning it switched off its location transponders.

Vessels often switch off their location transmitters when there is a risk to their safety.

Cargo ship Bayaze D and a small number of Iranian vessels appear to be sailing west through the strait likely towards ports in Iran.

Earlier, ship-tracking data showed no vessels had transited the Strait of Hormuz since yesterday evening.

More from the recent government statement on its move to pass emergency legislation to outlaw three groups, including the IRGC.

The Home Office said the move will step up the government’s ability to counter state threats linked to foreign powers and will hand the police "stronger powers" to deal with activity carried out by the three groups.

"New offences for supporting and assisting these groups could result in a 14-year prison sentence," the statement adds.

"It will now be easier to bring anyone caught working with them to justice and put them behind bars for longer."

The government adds it has already taken "robust action" against Iran by sanctioning the IRGC in its entirety and more than 550 Iranian-linked individuals and entities.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says those working for the three groups "will be tracked down and put behind bars" and vows to leave "no stone unturned to keep our country safe".

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper adds Russia and Iran's use of proxy groups "to carry out state-backed activity" is "reprehensible" and the UK will take all measures necessary "to protect the British people, at home and abroad”.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is to be outlawed by the UK government following emergency legislation to crack down on foreign state-backed activity, the Home Office confirms.

The Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right (IMCR) and Russia’s GRU Volunteer Corps (GRU) are also designated.

If approved by Parliament later this week, those conducting acts of sabotage including arson on behalf of these groups could face life imprisonment.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "We will never let Britain be a playground for states who want to spread fear, division and violence on our streets."

Oliver Smith
Live business reporter

Image source, PA Media

Earlier, the EU's energy task force said there is "no immediate security of supply concern" over oil and gas this winter.

But the UK's Royal Automobile Club (RAC) has now released some new figures showing that prices at the pumps in the UK are climbing following a resumption of attacks between the US and Iran.

The average price of a litre of petrol had reached a high of 159.53p in May during the conflict, but had fallen back since by 9p to 150.59p at the beginning of last week. Over the weekend it’s crept up to 151.19p.

Diesel, which had hit 191.54p a litre in April, had dropped 27p to 164.52p before climbing to 164.85p today. At the start of the conflict, petrol had been 132.83p a litre on average, and diesel 142.38p.

"Drivers embarking on their summer getaways may well see slightly higher forecourt prices again, with both petrol and diesel likely to go up a couple of pence a litre more in the next week or so," says RAC head of policy Simon Williams, adding: "The fate of pump prices here in the UK once again rests on whether there are further attacks between the US and Iran."

Bahrain's military has again accused Iran of targeting civilians with missiles and drones.

It says its air defences "intercepted and destroyed" several Iranian attacks this morning, adding that it remains in a state of "readiness" and "high alert" to defend itself.

It comes after Bahrain was targeted in further tit-for-tat strikes between the US and Iran overnight.

Iranian media has reported fresh strikes.

State-run IRNA cites Iran's deputy governor for security affairs in the Isfahan province as saying an attack on a military base in the city of Nain killed one person and injured seven.

Two people have reportedly been killed and three injured in Abadan, in the country's southwest, according to the deputy governor of the Khuzestan province.

The US has not confirmed the reports. The country's military has said it targeted dozens of Iranian military installations in a wave of strikes overnight.

Image source, Getty Images

Fewer ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz - a key supply route for imports into Europe - had raised fears of jet fuel shortages.

In a statement released today following a meeting on Friday, the European Union's energy task force has quelled those concerns.

The task force says the supply of jet fuel "remains overall stable so far" despite the "volatile" situation in the Middle East.

It also says there is "no immediate security of supply concern" over oil and gas this winter.

Gas prices are still above pre-conflict levels, although "volatility has remained relatively low and prices are significantly lower than levels seen in the 2022 energy crisis," it adds.

Iran has established a temporary safe maritime corridor "free of technical and military barriers" in compliance with the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, the country's embassy in the UK has said.

In a post on X, the embassy claims the Strait of Hormuz has turned into a "high-risk zone" for maritime traffic due to US military aggression.

It also accuses the US of pushing vessels toward a "dangerous southern parallel route", referring to the Joint Maritime Information Center advising ships to take a route through Omani waters in the south of the strait.

The route is described by the embassy as being "unsafe, unreliable, and prone to accidents".

The US says the latest round of strikes are in response to Iran hitting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The UK's Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported incidents in the vital waterway in recent days:

• 5 July: A cargo vessel reports being attacked by "unknown armed assailants" off the coast of Yemen
• 6 July: A tanker is hit by an "unknown projectile" off the coast of Oman, causing a fire on board. No casualties are reported
• 7 July: A tanker is struck by an "unidentified projectile" in a nearby area. It suffers structural damage but there are no casualties. Another tanker in the same place is struck by an unknown "Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle" and suffers minor structural damage
• 12 July: A container ship off the coast of Oman is damaged, causing a fire to break out on board. The crew abandon ship and are rescued by local authorities

Our colleagues at BBC Verify have been monitoring the movement of ships in the strait - no commercial vessels have crossed the strait since Sunday evening.

Image source, US CENTRAL COMMAND