Climbing in Hormuz: US and Iran reactivate crossfire in the Gulf

WashingtonIn the Strait of Hormuz, the only thing that has been reactivated is the crossfire between the US military and Iranian forces. This Monday, the United States admitted an Iranian missile attack with cruise missiles against one of its ships in the waters of the Gulf. Previously, the Army's Central Command (CENTCOM) had denied the facts in a publication on X in which it stated that Iranian state media were lying. In parallel, Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of CENTCOM, has assured that the navy has sunk six small Iranian vessels. Oman has reported an Iranian attack in a residential area and the United Arab Emirates say they have intercepted 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones sent from Iran. The region is heating up again after days of stalemate and, once again, the ceasefire is trembling.

The escalation is reactivated after President announced Operation Freedom Project on Sunday, in which the US military would escort merchant ships through the strait. Iran had already warned that it would sink any ship that tried to pass through the strait without first asking permission from the Revolutionary Guard. Washington's move, which was again an attempt to force the Iranians to reopen passage while the diplomatic route is at a standstill, seems to have only served to stir up the waters of the conflict. Information from both sides is once again, mostly, contradictory and difficult to verify. The fear of a new, more serious escalation has caused panic in the stock markets and the price of Brent crude has soared by 5%, already nearing $113 a barrel.

an attempt to force the Iranians to reopen the crossing while the diplomatic path is at a standstill, the Norwegian army had spent at least 45% of its arsenalThis is not the first time the president has made these kinds of threats, although it is the first time they have been accompanied by actual military actions. In early April, Trump threatened to completely "destroy" Persian civilization, and within hours accepted the ceasefire proposed by Pakistan. A truce that, about to turn one month old, is once again under pressure.

the Norwegian army had spent at least 45% of its arsenalIsrael sends defense systems to the United Arab Emirates

Israel sends defense systems to the United Arab EmiratesThe deployment of one of the Iron Dome systems to the United Arab Emirates implies even closer cooperation between the two countries, after years of moving closer. It also raises more questions about the amount of ammunition spent in the conflict, not only by Iran, but also by the US. Until now, the country that had led the role of defensive partner for the Gulf countries had been Washington.

The latest analysis by the CSIS, published at the end of April, already indicated that in the last seven weeks of war the U.S. military had spent at least 45% of its arsenal of precision missiles, at least half of its THAAD missile inventory – designed to intercept ballistic missiles – and almost 50% of its Patriot air defense interceptor missile arsenal.