US and Iran exchange strikes as Strait of Hormuz standoff deepens
The United States military has conducted a new round of strikes against Iran, targeting sites near the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes, which took place overnight on July 13, 2026, are intended to 'degrade their ability to attack commercial ships freely transiting the Strait,' according to a US official.
This escalation follows earlier attacks by the US on Sunday in response to an Iranian strike on a container ship in the critical waterway. Iran retaliated by striking Gulf Arab states, raising fears that negotiations between Tehran and Washington to end the war are on the verge of collapse.
The governor of Qeshm Island, near the Strait, told Iran's state-run IRNA news agency that projectiles were fired at military targets, with no casualties reported. Explosions were also heard in the coastal city of Bandar Abbas and Hajiabad city to the north.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said a few strikes were conducted on missile and air defence systems and paramilitary Revolutionary Guard boats at several locations. The official stated the aim was to further degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping.
Iran and the US are nearly at the midway point of the 60-day interim deal aimed at reaching a permanent end to the war. The Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and natural gas supplies, has become a sticking point in negotiations that seem in danger of collapse. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that 'a return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences.'
The US attacks were heavier than in recent days, marking the third round of airstrikes targeting Iran in the past week. These strikes were in response to Iranian attacks on ships using a route off Oman to avoid Iranian territorial waters. President Donald Trump told NBC's Meet the Press, 'We bombed the hell out of them last night.'
Semi-official Iranian news agencies reported that a navy officer was killed. Iran retaliated by attacking nations in the region hosting US military forces, while insisting it alone must control the Strait and potentially charge vessels for travelling through it.
Missile alerts sounded across several Gulf Arab countries. Qatar's military said it intercepted incoming Iranian fire, with explosions heard in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates. Three people, including a child, were wounded by shrapnel from the interception of attacks, Qatar's Interior Ministry said. Alerts also sounded in Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet.
Kuwait's Defence Ministry said three 'land border posts' in the north and an offshore drilling platform of the Kuwait Oil Company were damaged, with one worker wounded. Three Iranian missiles struck areas across Jordan, causing minor damage but no injuries, according to Jordan's state news agency.
The Omani state news agency reported that drones struck sites near the waterway, a day after Oman and Iran held talks on the Strait and agreed to continue discussions. Oman summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest the strikes, calling Iran's actions 'irresponsible' in the first such protest since the war began.
