The US military launched fresh strikes on a fortified Iranian island near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday as diplomacy slowed and Iran restarted attacks on its neighbours. US Central Command said the military attacked a ground control tower on Qeshm Island in “self-defence”, claiming Iran had tried and failed to attack Kuwait and Bahrain with missiles. Residents reported hearing early morning explosions on the 558sq mile stretch off the mainland, which has been used throughout the conflict to attack ships passing through the closed waterway. At the height of the war, Qeshm was briefed as a possible target for a US ground offensive as Washington looked at ways to break Tehran’s hold on the Strait of Hormuz. The island in the Strait of Hormuz allows Iran to project power across the Gulf (NASA) In peacetime, the island is a tourist destination dotted with salt caves and the remnants of fortifications installed by European empires. The Royal Indian Navy operated out of the island until 1863, and the last coaling station for the navy was …