BANDAR ABBAS — Iran permitted the partial reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on April 8, 2025, under a ceasefire agreement with the United States. This development followed weeks of military conflict that included US and Israeli strikes, along with retaliatory actions by Iran.

The conflict began on February 28, 2025, when the US and Israel launched attacks. Subsequently, Iran responded by targeting Israel and Gulf states that hosted US forces. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) initiated firing on commercial ships attempting to traverse the strait without permission, leading the US to retaliate with a blockade on ships using Iran's Gulf ports.

International journalists were allowed to visit the Iranian side of the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since the conflict. Abdol Rahman guided reporters through the strait, where two container ships seized by the IRGC in April were visible. The MSC Francesca, flagged to Panama, and the Epaminondas, flagged to Liberia, remained unreleased despite the ceasefire. The IRGC stated that these vessels endangered maritime security by operating without necessary permits and tampering with navigation systems. Numerous other cargo ships were observed offshore, awaiting permission from Iranian authorities to navigate the strait.

The city of Bandar Abbas is home to Iran's Navy and the naval arm of the IRGC. Between February 28 and April 8, there were at least 96 separate US strikes in and around Bandar Abbas, according to data compiled by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (Acled). More than a third of these strikes reportedly targeted military infrastructure, including IRGC facilities, missile sites, naval assets, and the air base at Bandar Abbas International Airport. An apartment block on Khushnoodi Street in Bandar Abbas was hit on March 26 by an Israeli strike.

Three people were killed, and seven were injured when two missiles struck the building, according to Iran's Fars news agency. Fatima, a 40-year-old business owner who worked in the destroyed building, said, "I knew many of the families who lived here. There were mothers and children. They were asleep when the attack happened. Some survived, but three people were killed. One of them was a military officer who lived here with his family. But it wasn't a military base." The Israel Defense Forces stated the intended target of the strike was IRGC Navy commander Alireza Tangsiri, whose death Iran confirmed four days later. The Red Crescent reported that 261 people, civilians and military personnel combined, were killed in Hormuzgan province.

Following the ceasefire, shops in Bandar Abbas have reopened, and families have returned to their homes. US President Donald Trump previously warned that Iran "won't have a country" if it did not reopen the strait. Mehdi Nobani, the Mayor of Bandar Abbas, said that neither Israel nor the US achieved their military objectives, including regime change. Nobani also stated, "If the ceasefire were to break down, Iran would close the Strait of Hormuz for sure."