Iran threatens to block more trade routes as US launches fresh strikes

Iran has threatened to block additional trade routes in the Middle East following a new round of American airstrikes on Iranian-backed militia positions in Iraq and Syria, escalating a confrontation that has already severely disrupted global shipping and energy markets.

The threat, delivered through Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations, comes after US forces struck more than a dozen targets in response to continued attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The US military described the strikes as "necessary and proportionate" and said they had significantly degraded the militia's ability to threaten shipping.

Iran's response has been to broaden the scope of its threats. Previously, Iranian officials had focused on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow channel through which approximately 20 percent of the world's oil passes. The new statement warns that "all maritime chokepoints within range of Iranian forces" could be affected, a formulation that appears to include the Bab el-Mandeb strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea and potentially the Suez Canal.

The escalation has sent oil prices sharply higher, with Brent crude briefly touching $115 per barrel before settling around $108. Shipping insurance costs for vessels transiting the region have risen tenfold since the crisis began, and several major shipping companies have announced they are rerouting vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, adding approximately ten days to journeys between Asia and Europe.

Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis have so far failed. China and Russia have called for restraint but have not offered to mediate. European governments are divided, with some urging the United States to reduce its military posture and others arguing that Iran must face consequences for disrupting international shipping. The standoff has become the most serious threat to the global trading system since the pandemic.