Iran closes Strait of Hormuz and hits two ships; US launches third wave of strikes, hitting around 140 targets

Closure of the strait

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz 'until further notice' during the night of 11-12 July, according to The Times of Israel, after firing warning shots at a vessel accused of using an 'unauthorised' route. State television and the Irna news agency reported that a second ship was struck hours later for allegedly violating regulations in the strait. The Guards said in a statement that no vessel transits would be permitted 'until the cessation of American interference in the region.'

Attack on commercial shipping

The initial target was the M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. US Centcom confirmed the vessel was struck by a missile launched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. One civilian crew member is missing, and the ship is unable to continue its voyage due to a fire on board and severe damage to the engine room. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said the attack occurred approximately nine nautical miles (17 kilometres) east of Oman's Musandam Peninsula, and the crew abandoned the ship in a lifeboat.

US military response

US forces launched the third series of strikes this week against Iran, hitting around 140 military targets with precision munitions from fighter jets, drones, and warships. Centcom said the operation was ordered by the commander-in-chief and targeted air surveillance radars, missile and drone storage depots, launch sites, surface surveillance radars, and surface-to-air missile launchers. The strikes hit five cities in the southern Iranian province of Bushehr: Asaluyeh, Dir, Bushehr, Dashti, and Tangestan, according to local officials cited by Irna and Al Jazeera. The province hosts critical energy infrastructure and the Bushehr nuclear plant. Previous raids had already destroyed civilian infrastructure near the facility, Iranian authorities said.

Iran made a bad choice. Now they are paying the consequences.

Attacks on Gulf states

Iran launched missiles and drones against the United Arab Emirates, according to the UAE defence ministry, while Bahrain activated air-raid sirens and explosions were heard in Doha, Qatar, likely from interceptions of missiles south of the capital. The Guards had earlier threatened to strike American bases in Gulf countries with 'severity' in the event of a US military response. An Iranian military spokesman, Amir Akraminia, said the US was seeking to impose its own rules in the strait in violation of a memorandum of understanding between the two sides. 'We are responsible for any movement in that waterway and we will defend our right,' he said.

Political and diplomatic fallout

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed revenge for the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in a written message broadcast by state media. 'Revenge is a desire of our nation and must certainly be carried out,' the message said. The Tehran municipal newspaper Hamshari published a photo of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in an orange prison uniform alongside images of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu with a crosshair on their foreheads, blaming them for the death of the former supreme leader. The blacklist also included British Prime Minister Starmer, French President Macron, German Chancellor Merz, and other US and Israeli officials.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that an Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had held talks in Muscat with Omani and Qatari officials on managing ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz. Both sides agreed to continue political and technical discussions aimed at guaranteeing navigation safety in the waterway.