US strikes Iran after Hormuz ship attack as Gulf tensions widen

Dubai,UPDATED: Jul 13, 2026 01:58 IST

The United States attacked Iran on Sunday after an Iranian strike on a Cyprus-flagged container ship in the Strait of Hormuz set it ablaze and left one crew member missing. Iran then launched attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Oman, the country on the other side of the strait with which Tehran has been discussing the management of shipping traffic.

The escalation came as Iran and the US neared the midpoint of a 60-day interim deal meant to reach a permanent end to the war, with the Strait of Hormuz emerging as a major point of dispute in talks that appeared to be under strain. Later in the day, the US struck again, with the governor of Qeshm Island telling Iran's state-run IRNA news agency that projectiles were fired at military targets without causing casualties. Explosions were also heard in the coastal city of Bandar Abbas and in Hajiabad to the north. A US official said a few strikes were carried out on missile and air defence systems and paramilitary Revolutionary Guard boats at a couple of locations to further reduce Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping. "A return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences," United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said, according to a statement.

The US military said earlier on Sunday that it had hit about 140 targets, including missile and drone launch sites, ammunition dumps, communication equipment and other sites. The attacks were heavier than in recent days. The US has launched three rounds of airstrikes targeting Iran in the past week over attacks on ships travelling through the strait on a route off Oman to avoid Iranian territorial waters. "We bombed the hell out of them last night," President Donald Trump told NBC's "Meet the Press." Semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported that a navy officer was killed.

Iran retaliated by attacking countries in the region that host US military forces, while insisting that it alone must control the strait and could charge vessels travelling through it. "The era of one-sided deals is OVER," Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament and a main negotiator, wrote. "We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking." Iran said the strait was closed until calm was restored and warned that it would consider targeting "additional enemy bases in the region" if it faced more attacks. The US military and Trump said the strait remained open.

The US military said more than 140 ships had transited the strait over the past week. A multinational body overseen by the US Navy said traffic continued "at reduced levels" off both Oman and Iran, and that nearly 140 vessels had passed through daily before the war. About a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas had moved through the strait before the war. Iran's hold over the route led to a global energy crisis, though oil prices have fallen sharply from wartime highs of USD 120 a barrel.

Missile alerts sounded across several Gulf Arab countries. Qatar's military said it intercepted incoming Iranian fire, while explosions were heard in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates. Qatar's Interior Ministry said three people, including a child, were wounded by shrapnel from the interception of the attacks. 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. Jordan's state news agency reported that three Iranian missiles struck areas across the country, causing minor damage but no injuries. Oman's state news agency said drones struck sites in an area on the waterway a day after Oman and Iran held talks on the strait and agreed to continue discussions. Oman later summoned the Iranian ambassador and called the strikes "irresponsible".

The US military said the container ship hit by Iran suffered "significant engine room damage". Oman's maritime authority said it rescued 23 crew members, but one person was missing. India's foreign ministry said the missing crew member was an Indian national. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre, overseen by the British military, said the ship had been moving along Oman's shoreline. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said multiple vessels had "disregarded our warnings" and ignored instructions to follow what it called an approved route. One vessel, it said, "was struck by a warning shot and brought to a stop." Iranian state media later reported US strikes across the country, including in southern Iran in the province closest to the strait and at military sites in a province near Tehran.

Trump said last week that the interim deal in the war was "over", but mediators, including Pakistan, Qatar and Egypt, have continued efforts to reach an agreement. A regional official involved in mediation, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, said efforts to shore up the ceasefire continued on Sunday. Pakistan said its foreign minister spoke by phone with Iran's top diplomat and urged "de-escalation" on both sides. Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen since the war began, said in his first statement since the funeral of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that Iranians would avenge his killing in the war's opening strikes on February 28.

Sunday's developments deepened the confrontation around the Strait of Hormuz, with US strikes in Iran, Iranian attacks across the region, fresh disruption to shipping and renewed uncertainty over talks meant to end the war. The day's events also left one Indian crew member missing after the strike on the container ship, even as mediators continued efforts to prevent further escalation.

With PTI Inputs

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