US-Iran War Live Updates: Trump says US will ‘take over’ Strait of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump said the United States would assume responsibility for guarding the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that Washington should be paid for securing the strategically important waterway. Speaking to Fox News, Trump said, “We had a deal and they broke it,” adding that the US would become the “guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also said the United States should be reimbursed for protecting the shipping route, declaring: “We’re going to get paid for guarding the Strait” and “We’re taking over the Strait.” He also criticised Iran as “a bad group of people.”
Iran’s state television says the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired warning shots at two ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, claiming the vessels were trying to transit the strategic waterway illegally. “This morning, two ships that were attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz illegally were targeted and stopped by warning shots fired by the navy of the Revolutionary Guards,” Al Jazeera reported citing a State TV correspondent based near the strait.
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The United States launched several waves of strikes into Monday morning after Iran attacked a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, setting it ablaze and leaving one crew member missing. Iran responded by striking targets across the Middle East.
Earlier, the US had launched a new wave of strikes on Iran, coming just hours after a large-scale assault that Washington said hit dozens of Iranian military sites. The escalation follows a weekend of retaliatory attacks by IRGC on US bases across the Gulf and Tehran’s declaration that the Strait of Hormuz was “closed until further notice.” Explosions were also reported in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, while several US allies in the region say they have come under Iranian fire.
Which countries have been hit or put on alert?
Sirens sounded at dawn Monday in Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, though there was no immediate word of damage; Bahrain has now sounded its missile alert sirens twice. Sunday’s Iranian strikes had already reached Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Oman, and Kuwait said Monday morning its air defences were actively firing as Iran retaliated over US strikes on its territory, without immediately confirming any damage or casualties.
