US Launches Third Wave of Strikes on Iran Over Attack on Ship in Strait of Hormuz; Iran Retaliates by Targeting Gulf States and Closes Strait

The US military stated that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit, while Iran claimed the strait was closed until the end of US 'interference in the region'.

This is a breaking news story.

Following US military strikes on Iran over the weekend, which came after Iran targeted shipping in the Hormuz Strait, reports of damage are coming in as Iran threatens to target Gulf states.

Iran launched a ballistic missile with "GAME OVER USA" painted on its body. This action followed recent United States strikes on Iranian military targets. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed missile and drone operations against American facilities. These strikes targeted bases in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Iran warned against further foreign military interference in the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran says latest US attacks have ‘rendered futile’ diplomatic efforts of last few months. Plus, hit song in Australia prompts speculation about use of AI Good morning. The US military has launched a fresh wave of attacks against Iran amid the escalating standoff over the strait of Hormuz. What has Iran said about the latest hostilities? Iran condemned the latest wave of attacks, its foreign ministry saying they had “rendered futile all efforts of the past few months to reduce tension and establish peace in the west Asian region”. The ministry added: “The US regime has also caused the return of insecurity in the strait of Hormuz and disruption of international commercial shipping.” Is the strait open? Iran said on Sunday that passage through the waterway was not possible because of what it called recent illegal US military movements in the region. The US said its forces were positioned to safeguard freedom of navigation, and reiterated guidance that, despite a severe security threat, an “expanded” southern route near Oman coastline was available for two-way traffic. How will Graham be replaced in the senate? South Carolina’s governor, Henry McMaster, will appoint a new senator to serve out the remainder of Graham’s term, which ends on 3 January. Whoever is appointed will likely have a leg up in a special primary election on August 11 to get on the November ballot. The candidate would still run against the Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who gained significant support in the red state, but who still faces an uphill challenge. Continue reading...

Iran targets its Gulf neighbours in third round of tit-for-tat attacks with US in a week.

Iran's IRGC says it attacked sites linked to the US military in Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman after latest US bombardment.

The renewed hostilities in the Middle East followed a renewed exchange of fire. It comes as negotiators struggle to reach a lasting peace deal to keep the crucial Strait of Hormuz open. Although the Strait is not being completely shut down, Iran has been striking ships adopting a US-defined route through it. FRANCE 24's Kethevane Gorjestani explains.

The U.S. strikes Iran for a third weekend and Iran retaliates by hitting Gulf nations and claiming to close the vital Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. says ship traffic continues.

After US strikes on Iran, Iran has targeted US allies in the Middle East. Even if Iran isn't targeting the governments or populations of its neighbors, Gulf countries have much to lose as fighting escalates.

Iran responded to the latest U.S. attacks by targeting Gulf nations, with the powerful Revolutionary Guards announcing new strikes on Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, according to state media reports

The United States struck Iran on Monday for a second day running, drawing Tehran’s reprisals against US allies in the Gulf as the foes battle over the status of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The flare-up is the latest to undermine an interim agreement between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending their war, which has caused global economic shockwaves since it began in late February. The latest salvo by US forces began at 2100 GMT on Sunday, Central Command (Centcom) said on X. The fresh strikes came less than 24 hours after a previous wave in which the US Centcom said 140 Iranian military targets were hit. In a subsequent post, Centcom said it had completed a new wave of “offensive strikes” against Iran, hitting “dozens of targets at multiple locations with precision munitions to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international shipping flowing through the Strait of Hormuz”. “Centcom forces struck Iranian military air-defence systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats using US fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack aerial drones, and one-way attack sea drones for the first time,” it added. The Centcom reiterated its assertion that Iran did not control Hormuz and US forces “are postured and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available to commercial shipping despite Iran’s continued unwarranted aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations”. Iranian state media reported that the latest US strikes targeted large areas across southern and western Iran, including Qeshm island and Bandar Abbas near the Strait of Hormuz, and in Khuzestan province bordering Iraq. An Iranian official says the US strikes hit an agricultural water pumping station in Mahshahr city in southwestern Iran, according to state media. One person was killed and four others injured, the deputy governor of Khuzestan province told the IRNA news agency. Attacks in Gulf countries Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said they had struck US military targets and bases in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. IRNA cited several statements released by the Guards saying they had attacked Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan, a US military drone command centre in Bahrain and airbases including Ali Al Salem in Kuwait. The IRGC also said its missile and drone attacks had set fire to fuel storage tanks and ammunition depots on the Jordanian base used by the US military. It said missiles and drones hit Jordan’s Prince Hassan Air Base. The attack was the first phase of the response to the latest US strikes. It also said that a military base at Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa was hit in the second phase of the retaliatory operation. The US Fifth Fleet headquarters is in Bahrain, but it is not at Sheikh Isa, which is a Bahraini base. However, the base has hosted US military operations and aircraft. Revolutionary Guards also claimed attacks on Ali Al Salem and Ahmad Al Jaber military bases in Kuwait. Both these bases are Kuwaiti but host the US military. In another statement, it said its naval forces targeted and destroyed US military facilities in Jafirah, Bahrain, and radar systems in Oman as part of reciprocal actions. It also said an air defence unit destroyed a Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drone belonging to the US military near the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on Monday, Mehr News reported. There was no immediate US response to the statement. The IRGC statement also said that ending US military interventions in the Strait of Hormuz was the only way to restore vessel passage. It warned that continued interference could lead to greater incidents in the global oil and gas sector. Oil prices, which have tumbled since the announcement of the agreement, rose over 3.5 per cent when futures trading opened on Monday in Tokyo, with the US benchmark WTI jumping above $74 a barrel. Back and forth strikes On Sunday evening, Iran reported strikes on two of its southern islands while Kuwait, where Tehran has repeatedly targeted US installations, said border posts and an offshore oil platform had been attacked. The renewed fighting followed what Iran described as a warning shot on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel’s crew was forced to abandon it after it went up in flames. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said after the incident that “the Strait of Hormuz would be closed until further notice and until the end of American interventions in this region,” according to state news agency IRNA. The US Centcom countered on X that the strait was “open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit”. The military command added that US forces were “positioned and prepared to ensure” freedom of navigation, claiming: “Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing.” Ship-tracking data from Kpler showed six vessels passed through the strait on Sunday — the lowest number in five weeks. Iranian state media reported explosions in several port cities on Sunday. In response, the IRGC said it had destroyed a command-and-control centre and drone hangars in US ally Jordan, targeted a US radar site in Kuwait, attacked US aircraft carrier support and refuelling platforms in Oman, and destroyed a jet maintenance centre and command facility in ​Qatar. Mediators, including Pakistan, have been trying to salvage a diplomatic solution to end the war after President Donald Trump this week declared that a ceasefire agreed with Iran after the signing of the interim accord on June 18 was over. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called for “de-escalation” on Sunday during a phone call Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. “Dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path to resolving disputes and achieving lasting peace,” Dar said. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also called for peace, with his spokesman saying “these attacks must stop. “ Iran’s foreign ministry said the US attacks on Sunday had “caused the return of insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz” and “have rendered futile all efforts” at establishing peace in the region. Control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz has become key leverage for Iran, with an adviser to the country’s supreme leader on Sunday saying it was more important than “dozens of atomic bombs”.

The United States struck Iran today for a second day running, drawing Tehran's reprisals against US allies in the Gulf as the foes battle over the status of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The US military said it has launched a fresh salvo of attacks on Iran, marking the third night in a row that it had struck the country, as a deal to end the war falters.

Within hours of fresh US strikes, Iran said it had struck US military bases in Jordan and Bahrain.

Dozens of targets at multiple locations were destroyed

Iranian state media reported US strikes targeting large areas across southern and western Iran, including Qeshm island and Bandar Abbas near the strait, and in Khuzestan province bordering Iraq. Missile alert sirens also sounded at dawn Monday in Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet.

American and Iranian forces exchange heavy missile and drone attacks over control of strait of Hormuz, increasing pressure on truce The US military has launched a new wave of attacks against Iran amid the escalating standoff over the strait of Hormuz, with Tehran saying the latest strikes had “rendered futile” all the diplomatic efforts of the past few months. The US military began launching more strikes against Iran at 9pm GMT on Sunday, US Central Command (Centcom) said on X, “to continue degrading their ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz”. Continue reading...

The flare-up is the latest to undermine an interim agreement between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending their war, which has caused global economic shockwaves since it began in late February

A U.S. official said a few strikes were conducted on missile and air defence systems and paramilitary Revolutionary Guard boats at a couple of locations to further degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping

The US military said it has launched another round of strikes against Iran “to degrade their ability to attack commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz”. The strikes, which took place overnight on Sunday into Monday, came after attacks by the US military on Sunday morning in response to an Iranian strike on a container ship in the critical waterway the day before. Iran responded to those strikes by attacking Gulf Arab states in an escalating cycle of violence that left the...

Sunday's attacks follow three previous days of tit-for-tat strikes between Iran and US as a June ceasefire deal frays.

The US military on Sunday said it had launched a new wave of attacks against Iran, after renewed fighting over the Strait of Hormuz saw several of Washington's Gulf allies targeted by incoming fire. The flare-up is the latest to undermine an interim agreement between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending their war, which has caused global economic shockwaves since it began in late February. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

United States forces conducted new strikes against Iran early Monday morning. These operations aimed to degrade Iran's capability to attack commercial shipping vessels. Iran reported explosions in southern provinces and condemned the United States' actions. The Strait of Hormuz remains a central point of ongoing conflict and tension. Diplomatic efforts between the two nations have reportedly collapsed following recent incidents.

The US army said the strikes near the vital waterway were intended to "degrade" Tehran's ability to attack commercial ships. Follow DW for more.

Iran reported strikes Sunday evening on two of its southern islands while Kuwait, where Tehran has repeatedly targeted US installations, said border posts and an offshore oil platform had been attacked. The as-yet unclaimed strikes came hours after Tehran and WashingtonStrait of Hormuz, offering contradicting statements as to whether the vital waterway was open to traffic.

Tehran hits back at several GCC countries, following the most intense US bombing since an MoU was signed last month.

The United States carried out a third round of strikes on Iran after accusing Tehran of attacking a commercial container ship in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iran announced that it had once again closed the strategic waterway, stepped up attacks on US military facilities across the Gulf and warned that any retaliation would invite a "severe response."

The US military said it launched another round of strikes on Iran — the third in a week — after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck a container ship travelling through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. Iranian state media has reported explosions in a number of port cities after the strikes. A series of attacks between the US and Iran over the past several days led President Donald Trump to declare the end of a ceasefire meant to halt the war on Iran that the US and Israel began on February 28, though Trump has left the door open to continued negotiations. Iran said it closed the vital Strait of Hormuz after firing a warning shot that struck a vessel travelling on an unapproved route. It warned that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a “severe response.” US Central Command identified the vessel as the M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship, saying it suffered significant engine-room damage and that a civilian crew member was missing. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said the crew of a container ship damaged east of Oman had abandoned the vessel and were in a lifeboat. Soon after, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had destroyed a command and control centre and drone hangars at a base in US ally Jordon. The United Arab Emirates said its air defence systems were engaging missiles and drones from Iran, Qatar said it had intercepted a missile attack while warning sirens sounded in Bahrain and explosions were heard in Doha. Hormuz again the focus of war, diplomacy The war has destabilised the Gulf, while Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has caused energy prices to surge, fuelling global inflation. Higher prices, especially for gasoline, are a politically sensitive issue for Trump ahead of the November congressional elections. Iran said several ships attempted to move through the waterway on an “unauthorised route” and disregarded warnings to correct their course. The strait, which was a conduit before the war for one-fifth of the world’s oil and LNG supplies will remain closed until “the end of US interference in this region,” the Revolutionary Guards said. Central Command said it began its strikes at 7:15 p.m. ET (2315 GMT) on Saturday, roughly an hour after the Iranians released their statement, which included a warning that “new enemy bases” in the Middle East would be targeted if the United States retaliated for the container ship incident. Trump ordered the strikes, Central Command said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Washington demands that Tehran publicly state it will stop attacks on ships in the strait and that all lanes will be open without tolls, senior US officials have said. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused the United States of violating the ceasefire agreement. “There can only be mutual compliance,” he wrote on X on Friday. The US revoked the licence authorising the sale of Iranian crude on Tuesday after three Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers came under fire earlier in the week, prompting the US to hit Iranian sites. Iran then struck US military sites in Gulf states. Iran, however, has not claimed responsibility for the ship attacks. Iran vows revenge Araghchi and Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi have met in Oman to exchange “views on appropriate mechanisms for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” according to a statement from the Iranian foreign minister. Oman’s state news agency said Omani and Iranian negotiators would continue talks “at the technical and political levels.” CNN reported on Saturday that Oman made a draft proposal for the strait, including free navigation through its southern corridor in Omani territorial waters. The plan called for vessels transiting the northern corridor through Iranian territorial waters to obtain prior approval from Iran, although no tolls would be imposed, CNN said. The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the CNN report. A written statement from Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, on Saturday threatened vengeance for the assassination of his predecessor and father, who was killed in the war’s initial attacks. “We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs,” the message by Mojtaba said. The statement was released to mark the funeral ceremonies for the former leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Thursday. His son did not attend the ceremony and has not been seen in public since the war began. Trump had posted on Friday that he had ordered the US military to be prepared to launch thousands of missiles against Iran if Tehran attempted to assassinate him. Iran has not commented on the assassination claims.

The United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran's ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait, the American military said.

U.S. Central Command said a short time later that its forces began a third round of strikes against Iran. There were explosions in Bandar Abbas and Sirik, two towns along the shores of the strait, Iran state media reported.

Iran says it again considers the Strait of Hormuz closed after its military struck a ship using an "unauthorized route." In response, the U.S. military announced a third round of strikes this week.

The United States attacked Iran early Sunday morning over an Iranian attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran apparently responded with strikes targeting Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

The US launched a new wave of military strikes early on July 12 against Iran after Tehran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed and Iranian forces struck a Cyprus-flagged commercial ship, sharply escalating tensions in one of the world's most strategically important waterways.

The US military has said it launched a new round of strikes against Iran this morning after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces struck a ‌container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The US military launched fresh strikes on Iran, while Tehran said it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz and escalated attacks on US facilities across the Gulf.

Tehran says vessel using unapproved route in strait was struck, drawing strikes from US forces to ‘degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners’ Iran’s ⁠Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Sunday it had closed the strait of Hormuz after a vessel travelled on an unapproved route and was struck, warning that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a “severe response”. “A vessel that had jeopardised maritime security by switching off its systems was struck and ⁠brought to a halt,” the navy of Iran’s ⁠Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in ​a statement, without giving any details about the ship. Continue reading...

Iran on Sunday said ⁠it closed the Strait of Hormuz after a vessel travelled on an unapproved route and was struck, warning that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a “severe response”. “A vessel that had jeopardised maritime security by switching off its systems was struck and brought to a halt,” the Navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement, without giving any details about the ship. ⁠The ⁠US ⁠military said shortly after that it had launched a new...

Barak Ravid says the strikes are being carried out in response to shots earlier fired by the IRGC at a commercial ship in the area

The Iranian navy has said it closed the Strait of Hormuz after firing on a vessel transiting an "unapproved route." It said the waterway would reopen after the US ends its "interference in the region."

US President Trump and the US military's Central Command insisted on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz is open despite the Iranian navy declaring it closed. Both sides continue to exchange strikes. Follow DW for more.

The Iranian navy has said it closed the Strait of Hormuz after firing on a vessel transiting an "unapproved route." In response, the US has launched a third set of strikes this week on Iran. Follow DW for more.

The Iranian navy has said it closed the Strait of Hormuz after firing on a vessel transiting an "unapproved route." It said the waterway would reopen after the US ends its "interference in the region."