U.S. launches more strikes on Iran as standoff over Strait of Hormuz escalates
The U.S. military has conducted multiple airstrikes against Iranian targets to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. These actions occur amidst escalating tensions that threaten to collapse ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Why it matters
The Strait of Hormuz is a vital global energy chokepoint, and military escalation there poses significant risks to global oil supplies and international stability.
The U.S. military said it has launched another round of strikes against Iran "to degrade their ability to attack commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz." The strikes, which took place overnight and into early Monday (July 13, 2026) in Iran, came after attacks by the military on Sunday morning in response to an Iranian strike on a container ship in the critical waterway the day before.
Iran responded to those strikes by attacking Gulf Arab states in an escalating cycle of violence that left the negotiations between Tehran and Washington to end the war at the edge 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. Explosions were also heard in the coastal city of Bandar Abbas and Hajiabad city to the north.
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