After US bombs 140 military targets, Iran launches missile and drone strikes on five Gulf countries and shuts the Strait of Hormuz
The US struck around 140 Iranian military sites overnight, triggering retaliatory missile and drone barrages against the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, and Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice.
US offensive
Overnight on 11–12 July, the United States attacked approximately 140 Iranian military targets, including missile and drone facilities and other military infrastructure. The operation was the third offensive against the Islamic Republic this week, ordered by President Donald Trump and conducted by US forces at 19:15 local time Saturday (23:15 GMT). US Central Command (Centcom) said the action was intended to "reduce Iran's capacity" to attack shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Iran fires on Cyprus-flagged container ship; crew abandons ship, one Indian crew member missing.
- US forces launch third offensive of the week, striking around 140 Iranian military targets.
- Iran retaliates with missile and drone attacks on UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice.
Trigger: the container ship attack
The strikes followed an Iranian attack on a Cyprus-flagged container ship navigating the Strait of Hormuz. The incident occurred 9 nautical miles (about 17 km) east of Oman's Moussandam peninsula. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it fired warning shots after the vessel used an "unauthorised route." The salvoes sparked a fire on board and damaged the engine room, forcing the crew to abandon ship.
The crew abandoned the vessel and boarded a lifeboat.
Ten crew members were rescued; one Indian national remained missing as of early Sunday. The vessel's voyage was interrupted.
Iranian retaliation across the Gulf
Within hours, Iran opened a second front. Missiles and drones struck five Gulf nations that host American military bases. The UAE's defence ministry confirmed its air defences were "responding to missile and drone attacks originating from Iran," and the Qatar state news agency said its armed forces repelled a missile attack, without confirming the source. Bahrain's interior ministry activated alarms and urged citizens to seek shelter. Jordan and Kuwait also came under fire.
At this moment, the United Arab Emirates' air defences are responding to missile and drone attacks originating from Iran.
Iran had not claimed the Gulf strikes by the time of reporting. Iranian media, however, detailed multiple explosions inside the country from the earlier US raids: five to six detonations in various cities of Bushehr province, where a nuclear plant is located; three in Sirik, next to the Strait of Hormuz; three in Bandar Abbas, another major port near the strait; and further explosions near the ports of Konarak and Chabahar, according to Al Jazeera citing Iranian outlets. There was no immediate information on casualties or damage from those blasts.
- Bushehr province
- 6 detonations
- Sirik
- 3 detonations
- Bandar Abbas
- 3 detonations
Hormuz closure
Following the container ship incident, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz "until further notice, and until the end of American interventions in this region." The statement cited the insecurity brought by "the illegal intervention of foreign forces" and said no vessel would be allowed passage. The strait is one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints.
The escalatory cycle began with a US justification that the strikes aimed to degrade Iranian ability to target merchant vessels. Iran, in turn, framed its warning shots as a sovereign response to an unauthorised course and tied the strait's shutdown directly to the removal of US forces. The rapid spread of retaliatory fire to multiple Gulf states raises the immediate risk of a wider regional conflict.
