The United States military initiated a fresh round of strikes against Iran on July 13, marking the third consecutive day of combat operations in the region. According to U.S. Central Command, the strikes began at 4:45 p.m. ET and are intended to impose significant costs on Iranian forces while degrading their capability to threaten commercial shipping and civilians within the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump, who recently declared the existing ceasefire between the two nations to be over, announced that the United States is reinstating a naval blockade on Iran. Describing the U.S. as a "guardian" of the vital waterway, Trump stated that the U.S. would take operational control of the strait. He further noted that the U.S. intends to charge countries a 20% fee on the value of all cargo passing through the corridor to cover security costs, asserting that other Middle Eastern nations would ultimately reimburse the U.S. for these operations. "We're taking over the strait. They've got nothing," Trump remarked during a phone interview with Fox News.
The current hostilities follow the dissolution of a preliminary peace agreement signed last month, which had aimed to end a war that began on February 28. That memorandum of understanding had initially facilitated the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and initiated discussions regarding U.S. sanctions and Iran’s nuclear program. A previous blockade on Iranian ports had also been lifted in June prior to the failure of the agreement.
In a separate discussion on the Hugh Hewitt radio show on July 13, President Trump addressed the potential for future military action, specifically mentioning the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site. "We're going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready," the President said. He added that the U.S. is monitoring the site closely and is prepared to strike, stating, "Every time we hear about it, we blow it up. So they don't like talking about it. But we'll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon."
Contributing: Joey Garrison, Zac Anderson
