The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow maritime chokepoint between Iran and Oman connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. Known as the world's most critical oil transit route, carrying roughly 20% of global petroleum, and a chronic flashpoint in U.S.-Iran tensions. Recently, the strait has been subject to repeated IRGC attacks on commercial shipping, U.S. naval blockade enforcement, and intermittent closure declarations by Iran. Last updated 1 day ago
Qatar's Foreign Ministry pressed all parties to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, resume dialogue, and implement the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
IRGC Navy claims four vessels allegedly backed by the U.S. attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz via an unauthorized route with their navigation systems switched off, ignoring repeated warnings.
The IRGC says two vessels experienced incidents and stopped, while the other two turned back.
NOW: CENTCOM: U.S. forces launched a new wave of airstrikes on Iran at 6 p.m. ET, targeting threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and retaliating for last night’s attacks on U.S. troops in Jordan.
The UAE says it is deeply concerned over the regional escalation and is calling for an immediate halt to hostilities, maximum restraint, and a swift return to negotiations.
It demanded safe, uninterrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, calling it vital to the global economy, and an end to strikes on civilian infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, desalination plants and energy facilities, describing such attacks as a serious violation of international law.
"China uses Iran as a tactical tool to maintain controlled tension in the Middle East and prevent U.S. pressure from shifting to Beijing. During the Hormuz War, it supplied Tehran with military support, equipment, and satellite data."
Several missiles were fired by the IRGC from the Bandar Abbas area at an unspecified vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state-backed outlets report.
Iranian state media said two oil tankers struck mines and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz. There was no immediate information on the vessels’ identities, casualties or the extent of the damage.
Iran's General Rezaei: If Iranian arrangements do not prevail over the Strait of Hormuz, West Asia will become a battleground for global powers vying for control of energy resources.
Following a Situation Room meeting Tuesday, Trump is considering a major offensive in Iran wider in scope than the current Strait of Hormuz strikes. The U.S. bombed at least seven bridges around Bandar Abbas yesterday, a key IRGC hub in the strait, a U.S. official tells Axios.
IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Brig. Gen. Seyed Majid Mousavi:
"Our effective and targeted strikes will continue against the enemy from all over Iran until calm returns to the southern coastline and the Strait of Hormuz."
Confirmed crossings through the Strait of Hormuz fell to a 3-week low of 8 on July 16, per Kpler. Seven of those took the Iranian route, marking the fourth straight day traffic has concentrated there.
UKMTO reports a new maritime security incident approximately 100 nautical miles east of Duqm, Oman, involving a merchant vessel and military forces. (Unknown forces?)
The advisory provides few details, only saying the tanker was “subject ...
UKMTO reports a new maritime security incident approximately 100 nautical miles east of Duqm, Oman, involving a merchant vessel and military forces. (Unknown forces?)
The advisory provides few details, only saying the tanker was “subject to interaction” as part of ongoing military activity in the region. The wording does not specify whether the vessel was attacked, boarded, warned, or intercepted.
The location sits outside the Strait of Hormuz but along a key shipping route used by vessels entering and leaving the Gulf. UKMTO says authorities are investigating and is advising ships in the area to remain alert as military operations continue.
"U.S. Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct a verification boarding aboard M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman, July 16.
As of today, American forces have redirected 3 commercial vessels trying to run ...
U.S. Central Command:
"U.S. Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct a verification boarding aboard M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman, July 16.
As of today, American forces have redirected 3 commercial vessels trying to run the blockade, disabled 1 that didn’t comply, and boarded 1 to ensure full compliance with the ongoing U.S. naval blockade against Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding waters remain free and open, except for vessels attempting to violate America’s steel wall blockade."
THE TELEGRAPH: The Houthis are preparing to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key global shipping route.
A closure would force ships to reroute around Africa, mirroring Iran's approach to the Strait of Hormuz. The group has not acted yet, reportedly waiting for the right moment as part of a broader Iranian pressure campaign against the US and its allies.
"U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) ended an evening wave of strikes against Iran at 9 p.m. ET on July 15.
U.S. forces struck Iranian command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance...
U.S. military:
"U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) ended an evening wave of strikes against Iran at 9 p.m. ET on July 15.
U.S. forces struck Iranian command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten innocent mariners crewing commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM used precision munitions to hit targets in multiple locations including Bandar Abbas.
Earlier this morning, American forces struck coastal defense and cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island during a 90-minute wave.
The U.S. military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief's direction."
CENTCOM has denied Iranian state media claims that U.S. forces struck a civilian wheat storage facility in Hoveyzeh on July 14, calling the report false.
Per CENTCOM, the July 14 strikes hit Iranian military targets in Bandar Abbas, Khormuj, Ahvaz, Qeshm, Tunb, Bushehr, and Kuh-e Stak, aimed at degrading Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
