The US military launched new strikes against Iran early on Wednesday, hours after three merchant ships were struck in the Strait of Hormuz, in the latest exchange of fire to threaten the interim deal to end the fighting between the two countries. The strikes were expected to hit a variety of military sites and port facilities, US officials said.
The renewed attacks were sure to add to the difficulty of the negotiations aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back Tehran's disputed nuclear programme and reaching a permanent end to the war launched Feb 28.
In a statement posted to social media, US Central Command said American forces launched the strikes “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”
One US official said the military is targeting Iranian air defence systems, coastal surveillance systems, ground-to-air missiles as well as launch sites for anti-ship cruise missiles and drones. Iranian port facilities are also being targeted, that official added.
The second official said the strikes would likely last for hours. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing military operation. Iranian state media reported the sound of explosions in Qeshm and Bandar Abbas.
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Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s coffin arrived in Iraq ahead of funeral procession. Khamenei ruled Iran for decades before being killed at age 86 in a Feb. 28 airstrike in the opening moments of the US-Israel, Iran war.
Iran War Live Updates: Did Trump Approve Strikes?
US President Donald Trump personally approved the plan to strike Iran and ordered the operation on Tuesday while in Turkey for the NATO summit, reported Axios quoting US official, as Washington and Tehran appeared headed back towards open conflict weeks after signing a ceasefire memorandum.
Iran War Live Updates: US Forces Complete New Round of Retaliatory Strikes
US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces completed a new round of offensive strikes against Iran hitting over 80 targets with precision munitions as an immediate response to Iran's latest attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
US forces struck Iranian air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and near the strait to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor.
Iran recently attacked three commercial vessels transiting the strait including Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity. The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation.
CENTCOM forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed.
Iran War Live Updates: Attacks Hit 3 Ships Off Oman/UAE Coast
Tehran, which has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe, is suspected of attacking other ships that have used another route close to the Omani shore.
Location details provided by the UK agency showed that all three attacks occurred off the coast of Oman or the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, making it likely that the ships were using the route near Oman.
Iran War Live Updates: Tanker Catches Fire Off Oman
One tanker was travelling off the coast of Oman when it was hit and caught fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said. Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.
The other two ships sustained some damage, but no one was injured, and both continued on their way, the UK maritime agency said.
Iran War Live Updates: MoU Violated Says Iran's Dy Foreign Minister
Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi said, "In the past three weeks, America has also repeatedly violated Articles 1 and 2 of the Memorandum of Understanding due to the actions of the Zionist regime in Lebanon and threatening statements against Iran. Iran, while issuing a serious warning regarding the consequences of America's breach of the agreement, will take decisive actions to safeguard its national interests and security."
Iran War Live Updates: Iran Says US Violated Agreement
The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the US move to revoke the licence, saying in a statement that it violates the interim deal and that "the US government bears responsibility for the consequences of this breach of commitment."
Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, also said in a post on X that the new attacks by the US are a violation of that agreement. "The United States' action in revoking the waiver for the exemption of sanctions on Iran's oil sales constitutes a blatant violation of Article 10, and the subsequent military operations of this country against Iran also constitute a serious violation of Articles 1 and 2 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding," Gharibabadi wrote.
اقدام آمریکا در لغو اسقاطیه تحریم فروش نفت ایران، مصداق نقض فاحش بند ۱۰ و عملیات های نظامی بعدی این کشور علیه ایران نیز مصداق نقض جدی بندهای ۱ و ۲ یادداشت تفاهم اسلام آباد میباشد. (۱)
— Gharibabadi (@Gharibabadi) July 7, 2026
Iran War Live Updates: Iran's Actions Were Unacceptable, Says US
A US official said the licence was revoked because Iran's actions in the strait were unacceptable and needed to be met with consequences. The official spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to share insight into the reasoning behind the move.
Iran War Live Updates: US Cancels Iran Oil License
A similar spate of Iranian attacks on shipping and US retaliation occurred late last month, while the new strikes were notable for happening while President Donald Trump was in Turkey for a summit of the NATO military alliance.
Hours after the three tankers were struck by projectiles, the United States revoked a licence that had authorised the sale of Iranian oil as part of the interim deal to end the fighting between the US and Iran.
(Source: AP)
Iran War Live Updates: US Military Says Strikes In Response To Tehran's Attacks
US military says it's launching strikes on Iran following Tehran's attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, reports AP.