The U.S. military launched another wave of strikes against Iran on Sunday after targeting about 140 sites a day earlier, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). The latest operation came in response to an attack by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on a container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
“At 5 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command forces began launching more strikes against Iran to continue degrading their ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said. “The Commander in Chief has directed the strikes to hold Iranian forces accountable.”
Details about the targets of the strikes were not immediately disclosed.
Hours earlier Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that multiple sites in southern Iran, including the strategic Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas and Hajiabad, had come under attack. No party immediately claimed responsibility.
The latest U.S. operation followed Saturday strikes that officials said hit about 140 targets, including missile and drone launch sites, ammunition depots, communications equipment and other military infrastructure.
The attack came after Iran attacked a Cyprus-flagged container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving it with significant engine room damage and one civilian crew member missing. Tehran said the vessel had ignored military warnings and entered an unauthorized shipping route.
Iran said Sunday it retaliated against the U.S. strikes by launching attacks toward Jordan and other Gulf states. Officials in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar later said they intercepted incoming missiles, while Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense said border posts and an offshore drilling platform were struck.
Iranian Army Announces Drone Attacks on US Bases in Kuwait and Bahrain pic.twitter.com/uOO7y6OxxX
— Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) July 12, 2026
Iranian state media also reported that the IRGC had closed the Strait of Hormuz until further notice, a claim disputed by the U.S. military. CENTCOM said the waterway remained open to lawful maritime traffic.
“U.S. forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations,” CENTCOM said in a social media post Sunday. “Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing.”
The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit the international waterway. U.S. forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary… pic.twitter.com/FS3TUBOZEj
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 12, 2026
CENTCOM said over 140 ships transited the strait in the last seven days.
The latest round of fighting between the U.S. and Iran began Wednesday, when American forces launched strikes against Iranian targets after three merchant ships were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. Days later, the two sides exchanged additional strikes, widening the conflict and further threatening fragile U.S.-Iran negotiations aimed at securing a permanent end to the fighting.
President Donald Trump on Sunday said Tehran had agreed during negotiations on Saturday to what he described as “a perfect deal for us,” though he did not provide further details.
“No nuclear, no this, no that, no nothing. They gave up everything,” he said. “And then after that, they left the room. And then within an hour, they launched a drone at a ship,” referring to the Cyprus-flagged container ship that Iran struck Saturday.
Iranian parliament speaker and negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned that Tehran would not accept what he called one-sided agreements.
“The era of one-sided deals is over,” Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament and a main negotiator, wrote. “We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking.”
The era of one-sided deals is OVER. We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking. pic.twitter.com/B97ogCYGaj
— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) July 12, 2026
