Nairobi: US forces have initiated a new wave of airstrikes against Iran following directives from the Commander in Chief. The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the strikes on the American social media platform X, stating they were intended to degrade Iran's capacity to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and to retaliate against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces responsible for recent attacks on American service members in Jordan. The strikes come after Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in Jordan, which resulted in the deaths of two American service members and left one missing.

According to Anadolu Agency, Iran has responded by suspending its commitments to a recent memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the US. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi accused the US of violating its commitments, leading Tehran to halt its own obligations under the Islamabad MoU. The suspension is part of Iran's broader strategy to defend itself amidst escalating tensions with the US.

In a related development, the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council have jointly rejected any state's claims of sovereignty or control over the Strait of Hormuz, labeling such claims as unlawful. A statement from the High-Level Forum on Regional Security and Cooperation in Brussels emphasized that no bilateral agreements should unlawfully regulate passage through this critical international strait. The statement reaffirmed the right of passage for all states under international law, resisting any control or authorization attempts by individual states.