U.S. launches strikes on Iran after attacks on commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz
The United States launched a new wave of airstrikes against military targets in southern Iran on Tuesday, saying the operation was carried out in retaliation for attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
According to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces struck more than 80 targets with precision munitions, including air defense systems, coastal surveillance sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, drone launch positions and more than 60 vessels belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The operation lasted about four hours and was intended to reduce Iran's ability to threaten international shipping.
U.S. Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway. The U.S. strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 7, 2026
The strikes came hours after Washington revoked a temporary license that had allowed Iran to sell oil on international markets under a ceasefire arrangement reached in June. The U.S. said both measures were a response to what it described as Iranian attacks on three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran denied responsibility for the vessel attacks but condemned the U.S. operation as a violation of the ceasefire memorandum. Iranian military leaders warned of a "crushing response," while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted dozens of U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation. Iran also claimed to have shot down a U.S. MQ9 drone over the country's south.
According to Al Jazeera, Iranian state media reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Qeshm Island and other strategic locations near the Strait of Hormuz. Authorities said several people were injured by shrapnel at a commercial pier in Sirik, while no civilian deaths were immediately reported.
The latest escalation follows attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, including damage to a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker and a Saudi-flagged oil tanker, incidents that have raised concerns over the security of one of the world's most important energy trade routes.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the United States carried out a new wave of airstrikes against Iranian military targets after a drone attack damaged a Panama-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.