Attack on a Ship: Iran opened fire on a ship and closed the Strait of Hormuz; the U.S. responded with airstrikes. The incident occurred in the Strait of Hormuz early Sunday morning. The Revolutionary Guards Navy announced that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until further notice. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. launched a new round of airstrikes against Iranian positions in the wider Strait area, prompting Iran to respond with ballistic missile attacks against its neighboring countries.

Specifically, the Iranian Navy reported late Saturday that it had fired warning shots at a vessel that allegedly attempted to pass through the Strait along an unauthorized route. According to Iran, the ship had disabled the transponder that continuously transmits its location.

The semi-official Fars News Agency reported that the ship was struck by a cruise missile and that it ignored calls from Iranian authorities.

In response to this incident, the U.S. struck targets in Shirik, Bandar Abbas, and Minab. Air defenses in Tehran were also activated.

This marks the third U.S. attack against Iran in the past week, a fact also confirmed by CENTCOM, the U.S. Central Command.

According to Iranian state television, following this incident, it was decided to close the Strait of Hormuz “until U.S. intervention in the region ceases.” It was also emphasized that no ship would be allowed to pass through the Strait and that if the enemy uses this incident as a pretext to launch new attacks against the Islamic Republic, it will face a “harsh response.”

Meanwhile, Oman proposed two separate routes through the Strait during talks with Iran in Muscat. Tehran had already expressed its opposition to the proposal.

However, the two sides agreed to continue technical and political talks regarding navigation in the region.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, explosions were heard in Kuwait, as well as in Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan.

The Revolutionary Guards claimed to have struck a base in Jordan from which the U.S. controls MQ-9 drones, as well as the Fifth Fleet base in Qatar.

Direct targeting of the Fifth Fleet in the Juffair area of Bahrain, the normalizer. pic.twitter.com/rEeTc5JInR

— Middle East Observer (@ME_Observer_) July 12, 2026

The attacks indicate, in any case, that Iran has not completely lost its capability to launch ballistic missile strikes.

CENTCOM’s statement

Today, at 7:15 p.m. (Eastern Time, 2:15 a.m. in Cyprus), U.S. Central Command forces began launching the third round of attacks this week against Iran, after forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps blatantly attacked the M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cypriot-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

One crew member, a civilian, is missing, while the ship is unable to continue its voyage due to a fire on board and significant damage to the engine room.

Iran was given yet another opportunity to demonstrate its compliance with the Memorandum of Understanding, having been called upon to account for previous attacks on merchant ships, but it failed once again.

In response, the United States is imposing heavy costs, continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian sailors and merchant ships passing freely through the strait. The strikes are being conducted under the direction of the Commander-in-Chief.

At 7:15 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command forces began launching the third round of strikes this week against Iran after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces blatantly attacked the M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. A civilian crew…

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 11, 2026

Source: Protothema.gr