(NewsNation) — U.S. military officials detailed a third night of attacks in Iran on Monday, with a goal of halting the country’s ability to strike ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Pentagon officials said five hours of attacks in Iran ended at 10:15 p.m. ET on Monday. The mission struck military targets in Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa and Bandar Abbas. The attacks, officials said, aimed to degrade Tehran’s ability to attack commercial shipping.

The attacks utilized precision weapons and struck Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites and maritime capabilities.

“More than 50,000 U.S. service members are currently deployed across the Middle East. American forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” military officials said.

President Donald Trump said in an interview that Iran would be hit “very hard” Monday and Tuesday.

According to the Pentagon, “At 4:45 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, at the Commander in Chief’s direction. These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iran’s YGC news agency said explosions were heard on Kish Island.

The Islamic Republic News Agency reported explosions in the Bandar Abbas area at about 4 p.m. Eastern time. A short time later, Iranian state television said there were no explosions.

However, the Tansim news agency, which is associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Corps, claimed air defenses had been activated in the area. Tansim also reported Iran had targeted “violating” vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

US air base in Jordan targeted by Iranian strikes

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says a U.S. air base in Jordan has been targeted by Iranian ballistic missiles.

Fars News also reported that Iran has called on the Jordanian people to “dismantle” American bases in their country. “You know very well that not only do we not have any enmity with your country, but we also love you, the noble people, who understand the pain and oppression of the Palestinian people more than any other nation,” the statement said.

1 dead, 8 hurt in tanker attack near Oman: report

Officials from the United Arab Emirates said Monday that Iran had attacked two tankers near the coast of Oman, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The report said one person died, and eight were wounded in the attack.

Trump says US eyeing control of Strait of Hormuz

President Trump told gathered journalists Monday that the restarted war with Iran was “going very fast” with the U.S. having already taken major military action in the country.

“We’ve demolished their military,” Trump said, adding that the American military was “hitting them very hard.”

Trump said the U.S. was executing strikes to destroy Tehran’s missile systems, drone production, and navy and air force assets, reasserting that America would be controlling the Strait of Hormuz and putting a blockade in place on the waterway. The president restated that the country’s navy was “underwater,” air force was “non-existent,” and radar and air defenses were “all gone.”

“I think in the end, we will end up just controlling the whole thing,” he said of the Strait and the region, also saying that two tiers of leaders in Iran, and some of a third, had been killed.

Trump compared the four months of war with Iran, which he said has been a “problem” for 47 years, to the nearly two-decade war in Vietnam, reiterating that Tehran would not obtain a nuclear weapon, and saying that without the military action, Iran could have obtained one “within one month.”

Trump estimated 52,000 protestors had been killed in Iran, calling its leaders very “stupid” and “foolish.” He also cited protection of U.S. allies in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

The president did say that he believed a deal that was reached days ago, before Tehran backed out, was still possible. However, he said the U.S. would continue its attacks until its objectives were met.

War resumes as third night of US strikes on Iran confirmed

President Trump has notified lawmakers that the war with Iran has restarted, White House officials confirmed to NewsNation. The letter was sent to Congress last week. The development comes as Pentagon officials announced a third straight night of strikes against Iran at Trump’s direction.

“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” Pentagon officials said.

Fighting comes after more weekend strikes

The United States launched more strikes against Iran through the weekend, and Iran fired off its own drone strikes against American allies in the region, as a new round of back-and-forth attacks stunts the possibility of a peace deal.

By the end of this week, the 60-day window for the U.S. and Iran to strike a permanent peace deal will be halfway through, yet both sides are still fighting over the memorandum of understanding.

The U.S. hit dozens of Iranian targets late Sunday night, the second straight night of attacks. Monday morning, CENTCOM said the U.S. hit Iran’s air defense systems, radar sites, small boats and drone equipment.

Iran responded in kind, firing missiles at U.S. military targets in Gulf-allied states. Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait sounded missile alerts Monday morning.

Iran-backed Houthis fire missiles at Saudi Arabia

Breaking a 4-year truce, Yemen’s Houthi movement fired missiles at Saudi Arabia, and accused Saudi Arabia of bombing a Yemeni airport in Sanaa.

A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said missiles  “launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward the southern region” were intercepted.

The Houthis say they attacked the international airport in Saudi Arabia’s Abha region.

Yemen has faced more than a decade of civil war, In 2015, a Saudi-led coalition entered Yemen to fight the Houthis. An unofficial cease fire had held since 2022.

Military says blockade will start Tuesday

The Joint Maritime Information Center, which is led by the US Navy, announced that a blockade will start at 8 p.m. GMT (4 p.m. EDT).

The announcement says the blockade will cover all Iranian ports and all Iranian cities along the coast.

The blockade applies to all ships with flags from all countries that transit to or from the ports, the JMIC says. However, the JMIC says neutral ships will be allowed through, and that humanitarian shipments will be allowed, but will be subject to inspection.

In the blockade from April 13 to June 18. CENTCOM says it redirected more than 140 compliant vessels, disabled nine non-compliant ships, and allowed more than 50 humanitarian aid ships to pass through.

UN opposes Trump plan for fees

“We are aware of the post and awaiting more details,” a spokesperson with the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization said. “We have always been consistent on our stance on fees — IMO stands firmly against charging fees for passage through straits used for international navigation. There is no legal basis through which to introduce mandatory tolls simply to transit through a strait.”

The organization says it will await more details on Trump’s potential plan of a 20% fee.

Iran Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi also posted on X, saying, “POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service. Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair.”

Conflicting statements on Strait of Hormuz

Within minutes of each other, the U.S. and Iran issued conflicting statements over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil route. Both sides claim they’re running things as ships continue to come under attack. Brent crude prices, the bellwether for international oil prices, are up to about $78 per barrel Monday morning.

CENTCOM posted that all shipping lanes were open, and U.S. forces were positioned to keep them that way. Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority responded, saying the strait was closed and if it opened, the only way through would be with a permit.

American officials are openly questioning who is in control in Iran, telling military leaders and negotiators to get on the same page.

All of this is playing out as Congress returns to session this week. Democrats are already talking about another war powers resolution vote, and President Donald Trump wants Republicans to push forward with another reconciliation bill to fund the war.

US will be ‘guardian of the Strait’: Trump

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said the U.S. will “keep the Strait” and “probably run it.”

“We’ll become the guardian of the Strait. Maybe we’ll call it the ‘guardian angel of the Strait.’ We should be reimbursed for that. When we do that, we’re gonna be reimbursed…,” Trump said. “We guarded the Strait for 50 years, more, and we never got paid for it.”

He continued, “We guarded it for nothing, and now we’re gonna guard it, and we’re gonna get paid for it.”

US should be reimbursed at rate of 20%, Trump says

On Truth Social Monday morning, Trump wrote the Strait of Hormuz is “OPEN, with or without Iran,” saying the U.S. should be reimbursed at a rate of 20% on all shipped cargo.

“The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World,” Trump wrote. “The process and formation will begin immediately.”

In response, the International Maritime Organization said its council “reaffirms commitment to protecting vital shipping lanes.”

The IMO Council adopted a resolution Monday, expressing that the right of passage for international navigation “should not be threatened, impeded, denied, hampered, impaired or suspended.”