An Iraqi Shiite soldier chants on the eve of funeral ceremonies for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei outside the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Hadi Mizban/AP
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Hadi Mizban/AP
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — On Wednesday morning, the U.S. launched a military strike against Iran. This action followed accusations that Tehran had attacked three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iran targeted Bahrain and Kuwait with retaliatory strikes. Additionally, the U.S. revoked Iran’s right to sell crude oil openly on the global market.
This escalation has heightened the risk of the interim agreement, aimed at halting the conflict, collapsing. The Middle East now faces the threat of a broader war. These events unfolded during the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died on February 28 at the age of 86, at the onset of the conflict. Despite expectations of reduced tensions, mourners have called for the deaths of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Negotiations for a final settlement were scheduled to commence after Khamenei’s burial, focusing on reopening the strait and addressing Tehran’s contentious nuclear program. However, the recent hostilities have cast doubt on these plans.
“The era of bullying and extortion is over,” Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf declared on X. “It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.”
Overnight US strikes target Iran
The U.S. Central Command stated that American forces carried out strikes to “impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.” The strikes targeted Iranian air defense systems, radars, and over 60 small boats used by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which have been instrumental in disrupting shipping in the strait.
The U.S. military emphasized its readiness to hold Iran accountable if the agreement is violated, noting that this round of attacks has concluded.
While Iran acknowledged the strikes, it did not provide details on any losses. Iranian state media reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, and Sirik.
Map showing where a tanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz.
Will Jarrett/AP
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Will Jarrett/AP
Early on Wednesday, missile alerts were triggered in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, and Kuwait, where U.S. Army forces are stationed. The Revolutionary Guard confirmed targeting U.S. military installations in both countries.
The Guard accused the U.S. military of breaching the ceasefire and the Islamabad agreement by carrying out airstrikes on coastal bases and civilian stations in Hormozgan and Mahshahr provinces, without addressing the ship attacks in the strait.
Bahrain issued a second missile alert later that Wednesday morning. A similar pattern of Iranian attacks on shipping and U.S. retaliatory strikes occurred in the previous month, which also led to Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait. The latest U.S. strikes coincided with Trump’s visit to Turkey for a NATO summit.
US revokes license for the sale of Iranian oil
The U.S. has also revoked a license permitting the sale of Iranian oil under an interim agreement, which had allowed Iran to sell oil openly on the international market for U.S. dollars for the first time in years. Iran had long been suspected of selling its sanctioned crude oil to China at below-market prices.
The U.S. decision was made following attacks on shipping. According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, one tanker was struck off the coast of Oman and caught fire. Iranian state television reported that the liquefied natural gas tanker was attacked after ignoring warnings, though they did not directly claim responsibility.
The other two ships involved sustained some damage but no injuries were reported, and both continued their journey through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the U.K. maritime agency. Since the war, Iran has maintained control over the Strait of Hormuz, affecting global energy markets as a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas typically pass through this channel. The attacked ships appeared to be following a route close to Oman’s shore, rather than one designated by Tehran.
Tehran has repeatedly asserted that only its approved route through the strait is secure and is suspected of attacking other ships that have taken the Oman route.
Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, stated that the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat was targeted in an “unacceptable attack” on international navigation and global energy security, holding Iran “fully legally responsible.”
As part of the interim agreement, Iran and the United States agreed to allow ships to pass without charges for 60 days. However, Tehran insisted on controlling the vessels’ routes and subsequently charging fees for passage, which would disrupt decades of established practice in the waterway.
The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states have expressed their refusal to agree to Iran imposing charges for passage through the strait.
