US launches third round of strikes on Iran as Strait of Hormuz closes

The United States carried out a third series of air strikes in July 2026 against Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets, including missile systems, air‑defence assets, small boats and ports such as Bandar Abbas, Sirik and Chabahar. The attacks were ordered by President Donald Trump in retaliation for an Iranian assault on the Cyprus‑flagged container ship M/V GFS Galaxy in the Strait of Hormuz and were described by U.S. Central Command as aimed at keeping the waterway open for commercial traffic.

Iran responded by announcing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, firing warning shots at vessels it said were on an “unauthorised route”, and launching retaliatory strikes on U.S. facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Jordan. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard claimed to have hit U.S. carrier‑support platforms in Oman’s Duqm port and a radar site in Kuwait. Oman summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest drone attacks on its territory.

The escalation put Gulf Cooperation Council states on high alert. Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman reported intercepting missiles and drones, but no casualties were confirmed. Analysts warned that any prolonged disruption of the Strait, which carries about one‑fifth of global oil and LNG shipments, could affect regional security and world energy markets.