US strikes 140 Iranian targets after Hormuz shipping attacks

Global energy markets face renewed pressure after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of traded oil and natural gas once passed. The closure followed Iranian attacks on commercial vessels and triggered a third round of US strikes on Iranian military sites.

US Central Command stated that its forces hit approximately 140 targets on July 11, including missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage, communication networks, and coastal surveillance locations. Over three nights that week the total exceeded 300 targets. Centcom attributed the action to Iranian strikes on shipping, specifically damage to the Cyprus-flagged MV GFS Galaxy that left one crew member missing and forced the rest to abandon ship. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote that Iran had made a poor choice.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the strait closed until further notice after firing on vessels using routes outside its approved lanes. It also reported missile and drone strikes on US-linked facilities in Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman. Qatar’s Interior Ministry said three people, including a child, were wounded by falling shrapnel from interceptions. Bahrain and Kuwait activated air-raid sirens; Oman reported drone impacts in its Musandam exclave. Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted that the era of one-sided deals was over.

The immediate trigger traces to earlier attacks on three commercial tankers, which prompted the first US strikes and ended a June memorandum of understanding meant to reopen the waterway. That agreement left routing details unresolved. Iran insists vessels use a northern route under its control; the United States and Gulf states have rejected fees or restrictions. Iranian state media quoted new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei pledging to avenge his father’s death in the February opening strikes of the wider conflict.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs condemned the attack on the Galaxy, whose crew were Indian nationals, and called for unimpeded navigation. Oman hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for talks on Saturday but issued no joint statement guaranteeing open transit. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright had previously said the military would ensure energy flows regardless of any new agreement.