The United States launched strikes on more than 80 Iranian military targets after merchant ships were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, sharply escalating tensions and raising fears of disruption to global oil supplies. CENTCOM said its forces completed a new round of offensive strikes against Iran on July 7, hitting more than 80 targets with precision munitions in an immediate response to Iran’s latest attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The fresh escalation in the latest exchange of fire is now threatening the interim deal aimed at ending the conflict between the two countries.
The strikes came amid the ongoing funeral for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint US-Israel strike at the beginning of the war.
The crisis escalation has again made the global markets jittery, with oil prices rising again.
In a statement posted on social media, the U.S. Central Command said American forces launched the strikes “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”
According to CENTCOM, US forces struck Iranian air defence systems, command-and-control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) small boats in and near the strait to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in a post on X that the US attacks violated the interim agreement. A similar round of Iranian attacks on shipping and US retaliation occurred late last month. The latest strikes were also notable for taking place while President Donald Trump was in Turkey for a NATO summit.
Merchant ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz
The latest US strikes came after Iran’s military allegedly targeted commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
According to two US officials cited by Axios, Iran fired at least two missiles at commercial ships passing through the strategic waterway on Monday night. The reported attack came after a one-week agreement between the US and Iran on halting strikes in the strait had expired, putting a fragile memorandum of understanding at risk of collapse.
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A tanker travelling near Oman’s coast was hit by an unknown projectile and caught fire, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency. A separate commercial vessel was also struck by an Iranian missile, a US official told Axios. Both ships suffered damage, though no casualties were reported in either incident. The renewed attacks came just weeks after Washington and Tehran signed a 14-point agreement meant to de-escalate tensions in the region.
Tehran, which has repeatedly said only its approved route through the strait is safe, is suspected of attacking other ships that used a route close to the Omani coast.
Location details released by the UK agency showed all three attacks occurred off the coast of Oman or the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, suggesting the vessels were travelling along the route near Oman.
US revokes Iranian oil sales licence
Hours after the three tankers were struck by projectiles, the United States revoked a licence that had authorised the sale of Iranian oil as part of the interim deal to end the fighting between Washington and Tehran.
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Qatar condemns attack
Majed Al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, said the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat was targeted in an “unacceptable attack” on international navigation and global energy security.
In a post on X, he said Qatar holds Iran fully legally responsible.
The Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational body overseen by the US Navy, had advised shippers on Monday that the route around Oman “has been expanded and remains available for all traffic.”
