Breaking: US Hits Iran in New Strikes as Hormuz Standoff Grows
- Jul 12
- 3 min read
The United States launched a fresh wave of military strikes against Iran on Sunday evening, escalating a confrontation that has already seen more than 300 Iranian targets hit over three nights and pushed the Strait of Hormuz — the artery for roughly a fifth of the world’s oil — to the center of a global crisis.
WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Central Command said the latest round of strikes began at 5 p.m. Eastern on Sunday and was still underway more than three hours later, an unusually long operation compared with earlier rounds. President Trump directed the strikes to, in CENTCOM’s words, hold Iranian forces accountable for attacks on civilian mariners and commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
WHAT WE KNOW: Sunday evening’s targets included Iranian air defense systems and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats operating around the strait, according to U.S. officials. Strikes were also reported near Ahvaz in Iran’s oil-rich Khuzestan province. The operation follows Saturday night’s barrage, in which U.S. forces hit roughly 140 Iranian military targets — missile and drone sites, naval assets, ammunition depots, communication networks and coastal surveillance posts — using land- and sea-based aircraft, drones and naval vessels.
The three rounds of American strikes in the past week bring the total number of Iranian targets hit to more than 300, marking the largest sustained U.S. military campaign against Iran in decades.
BACKGROUND: The crisis erupted after Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which prompted the first American retaliation and the collapse of a fragile ceasefire that President Trump declared “over.” Iran answered the U.S. campaign by launching attacks on Gulf neighbors hosting American forces, with strikes reported in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
At the heart of the standoff is the status of the strait itself. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has declared the waterway closed, and the authority Tehran set up to oversee a new transit “protocol” says passage is “not possible.” Washington rejects that outright — CENTCOM, the Joint Maritime Information Center and President Trump all insist the strait remains open. “It’s open as far as we’re concerned,” Trump told CNN.
REACTION: Markets are already feeling it. Tracking data shows traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed to a trickle, and oil prices jumped Sunday — Brent crude climbed nearly 4 percent to about $79 a barrel, while U.S. crude rose more than 3 percent to roughly $74. Analysts warn a prolonged closure could send prices sharply higher and ripple through everything from gas pumps to grocery prices in the U.S.
Gulf states caught in the crossfire have condemned the Iranian attacks on their territory, while calls for de-escalation have come from European capitals and the United Nations. The death of former Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani on Sunday added to a day of upheaval across the region.
WHAT TO WATCH: Whether Iran retaliates again against U.S. bases or Gulf states in the coming hours; whether commercial shipping resumes through Hormuz or insurers effectively shut the lane down; how far oil prices climb when global markets open; and whether any diplomatic channel — direct or through intermediaries — reopens after the collapse of ceasefire talks.
BOTTOM LINE: The U.S. and Iran are now trading fire around the world’s most important oil chokepoint, with no ceasefire in place and both sides claiming control of the narrative over the Strait of Hormuz. This is a live, fast-moving story — check back with 662online.com as new details emerge.
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