Strait of Hormuz Closed: US Launches Retaliatory Strikes After Iran Attacks Container Ship

WASHINGTON and TEHRAN — JULY 12, 2026 (Agencies)— The U.S. military has launched a fresh wave of retaliatory airstrikes against Iran following an attack by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on a commercial container ship in the Strait of Hormuz. According to U.S. Central Command (Centcom), IRGC forces targeted the Cyprus-flagged M/V GFS Galaxy as it attempted to transit the vital waterway, causing significant engine damage and a fire that left one civilian crew member missing. In response to the assault, Tehran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice, claiming it fired warning shots at a vessel utilizing an unauthorized route. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Center corroborated reports of the maritime incident, noting rear damage to a container ship nine nautical miles east of Oman. Centcom condemned the aggression, stating that the U.S. is imposing a heavy cost to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners after failing to adhere to a recent maritime Memorandum of Understanding.

The escalating naval conflict has severely strained a fragile three-week-old peace accord, prompting severe warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump, who declared that the ceasefire is officially over. While Trump indicated that diplomatic channels remain open, he has paired ongoing negotiations with explicit threats of overwhelming military retaliation, asserting on Truth Social that “1,000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded” to destroy Iranian targets if the regime attempts an assassination against him. The latest clash follows previous claims by Iranian officials that prior maritime incursions were conducted by a rogue IRGC unit, though the central government has now firmly locked down the strait to assert control over regional shipping lanes. The broader conflict, which intensified in late February following U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, faces renewed volatility as Khamenei’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, vowed vengeance against the allied forces. Diplomatic efforts remain stalled, as a Saturday meeting between the foreign ministers of Iran and Oman in Muscat yielded no breakthrough, with both nations only agreeing to continue technical and political talks in accordance with international law.(Agencies)