# US Launches Massive Strikes on Iran After Tanker Attacks Rock the Strait of Hormuz By The Current Tribune · World · Published Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:39:06 GMT · Updated Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:41:08 GMT Source: The Current Tribune — https://currenttribune.com/article/us-strikes-iran-strait-of-hormuz-tanker-attacks A fragile peace, always more truce than treaty, shattered overnight. In one of the largest US military operations against Iran since the war began in February, American forces pounded more than 80 targets across southern Iran, Tehran answered with missiles and drones aimed at US bases in the Gulf, and oil markets lurched upward as the world’s most important energy corridor tipped back toward chaos. Here is everything that unfolded, why it happened, and what it means for the region and global markets. ### What Actually Happened US Central Command confirmed it carried out a “series of powerful strikes” on Iran late Tuesday into Wednesday, hitting more than 80 targets with precision munitions. The operation was launched using Air Force jets and Navy tactical aircraft, including F/A-18F Super Hornets flying off the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. According to US officials, the strikes concentrated on Iran’s ability to threaten shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Targets included: - Air defense systems and surface-to-air missile sites - Command and control networks - Coastal radar and surveillance sites - Anti-ship missile capabilities - More than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) small boats stationed near the strait Explosions and thick smoke were reported across Iran’s Hormozgan province, with strikes hitting the port city of Sirik, Qeshm Island, and areas around Bandar Abbas. Iranian state-linked media reported several people injured by shrapnel at a commercial pier in Sirik. #### A Deliberate Escalation What makes this round different is both scale and language. CENTCOM described the operation as “offensive,” a pointed departure from the “self-defense strikes” framing it had used in earlier exchanges. Analysts noted the operation was roughly eight times larger than the limited US retaliation in late June, a signal that Washington intended this to be a punishment rather than a warning. ### Why the US Struck: The Tanker Attacks The trigger was a wave of Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil moved before the war. Two high-profile ships were hit as they used a southern route close to Oman’s coast, a passage Iran has repeatedly warned vessels to avoid: - **Al Rekayyat** – a Qatari-owned LNG tanker struck on its port side. The hit triggered an engine room fire and raised fears of an explosion; the crew was reported safe and later evacuated. - **Wedyan** – a Saudi-flagged crude supertanker managed by Bahri- was damaged roughly 16 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan. A third tanker was later reported struck by a drone, sustaining minor structural damage with no casualties. Qatar and Saudi Arabia both condemned the attacks and squarely blamed Iran, calling them a violation of international law and a threat to global energy supplies. Tehran did not formally claim responsibility, though Iranian state media strongly hinted at its involvement, framing the strikes as enforcement against ships ignoring its designated routes. #### The Route Dispute at the Heart of It All The fighting boils down to a single stubborn disagreement: who controls the strait. Iran insists ships use a northern route close to its coast, waters it effectively commands. The US Navy has been steering commercial traffic through a southern, protected corridor near Oman. Every vessel that takes the American-backed route becomes, in Tehran’s eyes, a target. ### The Economic Fallout Markets reacted immediately. After weeks of relative calm, oil prices jumped as traders priced in renewed disruption risk. Benchmark Move Level Brent crude (settle) +3% $74.16 WTI (settle) +2.8% $70.44 Brent (after hours) +5.6% $76.04 WTI (after hours) +5.4% $72.25 The after-hours spike came once Washington escalated on a second front: the Treasury Department revoked the sanctions waiver that had temporarily allowed Iran to sell oil on global markets. The move took effect immediately, with any remaining sales required to wind down by July 17 rather than the previously agreed-upon August 21. Maritime authorities also raised the threat level for the strait to “severe,” its highest classification in weeks. For Iran, an economy already squeezed by years of sanctions and a months-long conflict, losing that oil revenue may sting as much as the airstrikes themselves. ### Iran’s Response: Sirens Across the Gulf Iran did not wait long to answer. The IRGC said it launched missiles and drones at 85 US military sites across Bahrain and Kuwait, targeting the US Fifth Fleet’s base at Bahrain’s Salman Port and the Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait. Air raid sirens blared across both countries. Kuwait’s military said its air defenses were confronting “hostile” missile and drone threats and warned residents that explosions might be heard as interceptors engaged. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry activated sirens and urged citizens to seek shelter. Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, branded the US strikes a “blatant act of aggression” and vowed a “crushing response,” insisting Tehran would never allow foreign interference in its management of the strait. ### Diplomacy on Life Support The timing could hardly be worse for the peace process. The strikes landed as President Donald Trump attended a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, where he reportedly approved the operation alongside top officials, including the secretaries of state, defense, and the treasury, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. The two sides had signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-June, opening a 60-day window to negotiate a lasting end to a war that began on February 28. That framework now looks perilously thin: - Iran’s foreign minister warned Tehran will not negotiate a final deal “if threats continue.” - Iran’s parliament speaker accused Washington of violating the MOU, declaring the “era of bullying and extortion is over.” - One risk consultancy called the revoked oil waiver a “complete destruction” of the agreement, since it was Iran’s only tangible upfront concession. Regional allies were reportedly scrambling to send back-channel messages to both capitals in hopes of containing the escalation before it spirals into open war again. ### Final Verdict This is the most dangerous moment for the US-Iran ceasefire since it was signed. The combination of a larger, openly “offensive” military operation, the reimposition of crushing oil sanctions, and Iran’s rapid retaliation against Gulf bases has stripped away the diplomatic cushion that kept both sides talking through earlier flare-ups. The core problem remains unresolved: control of the Strait of Hormuz is a question of sovereignty and leverage that neither side is willing to concede. Until that dispute finds a formula both can live with, every tanker taking the “wrong” route is a potential flashpoint, and every strike invites a bigger one in return. Markets, mariners, and millions across the Gulf will be watching nervously to see whether cooler heads can pull this back from the brink, or whether the region is sliding into the next chapter of a war that never truly ended.