US and Iranian forces continued to exchange missile and drone assaults on Sunday after Washington attacked Tehran over an Iranian strike on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz that set the vessel ablaze and forced the crew to abandon it. The Islamic Republic has announced that it has shut Hormuz after the renewed fighting in the region with Washington. A series of attacks between the two nations led US President Donald Trump to declare an end to the ceasefire signed in April to halt the fighting that began with the US-Israel joint attack on February 28. Regional retaliation and conflicting transit reports Iran has responded to US attacks by targeting several countries in the Gulf region, including Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. However, reports have indicated that the Strait of Hormuz has remained open in the Omani “southern route” for two-way traffic, despite claims by Tehran’s military that the strategic waterway has been shut. Maritime monitoring body confirms route availability According to the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), an organisation that the US Navy …