The United States launched a series of military strikes against Iranian targets, including air defense systems, radars, and over sixty small vessels used by the Revolutionary Guard, after a spate of attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command stated the operation aimed to penalize those responsible for assailing merchant vessels crewed by non-combatants in an international passageway. The strikes came as President Donald Trump declared the interim ceasefire “over,” though he left the door open for continued talks, a remark that sent global oil prices climbing. Iran responded by targeting American military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait, with Kuwait reporting it intercepted missiles and drones. The escalation threatens to reignite a wider conflict that could disrupt energy shipments through the strategic waterway, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil once flowed, and further complicate already fragile negotiations over shipping rights and Iran’s nuclear program.