US strikes Iran after Hormuz tanker attacks, Tehran threatens 'crushing response'
US Central Command said the strikes were carried out “to impose heavy costs” for attacks on commercial shipping.
Commercial vessels are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Tuesday, Jun 30, 2026. (Photo: AP/Amirhosein Khorgooi)
WASHINGTON: United States forces launched strikes on Iran on Tuesday (Jul 7) after three commercial vessels were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said, sharply escalating a confrontation that has already shaken efforts to end the Middle East war.
US Central Command said the "powerful" strikes were in response to Iranian attacks on ships transiting the vital waterway and would "impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping".
Iranian state media reported that six explosions were heard on the island of Qeshm, seven explosions were heard in the city of Sirik, and more were heard in the major port city of Bandar Abbas.
US Central Command said the United States military hit over 80 targets during its latest strikes on Iran.
"US forces struck Iranian 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," the US military said in a statement posted to X.
Iran's top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said on Wednesday that Iranian armed forces would deliver a "crushing response" after accusing the US military of targeting parts of southern Iran in what it called a "blatant act of aggression", and warned that Tehran would not allow US interference in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.
It said that the only safe passage for commercial vessels and oil tankers through the waterway was the route determined by Iran.
The US strikes came shortly after Washington revoked a temporary sanctions waiver for Iranian oil, raising pressure on Tehran as it negotiates with Washington over a final settlement to the conflict.
The US Treasury Department cancelled a licence announced in June that had allowed Iran to produce, sell and deliver crude oil and related products through Aug 21.
"Iran's actions in the strait were wholly unacceptable to the US and will be met with consequences," a US official told AFP.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US-Iran memorandum of understanding was "entirely performance-based", warning that Tehran would see benefits only if it showed "good behaviour".
But US negotiators were continuing to work "in good faith towards a final deal", the official said.
Iran's foreign ministry accused the US of repeatedly violating their agreed memorandum of understanding, and warned of retaliation.
"Iran is issuing a serious warning about the consequences of America's breach of the treaty, and will take decisive measures to protect its interests and national security," the ministry said in a statement posted to Telegram by IRIB News.
VESSELS STRUCK CLOSE TO OMAN
British maritime security agency UKMTO said an "unknown projectile" hit a tanker overnight, causing a fire, before two more vessels were struck, at least one by a drone.
All three vessels were struck close to Oman, which had proposed a temporary transit corridor hugging its coastline - an initiative opposed by Iran as it seeks to impose fees on ships using the narrow waterway.
Qatar said one of the vessels was its LNG tanker Al-Rekayyat and blamed Iran, denouncing an "unacceptable" attack on international maritime navigation.
Doha later summoned Iran's deputy ambassador to lodge a complaint, demanding an explanation and urging Tehran to "immediately cease any practices undermining regional security".
"We hold Iran fully legally responsible for this attack and for any resulting damages or repercussions," Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari wrote on X.
Iran voiced "dismay" over Qatar's accusations in a statement carried by state news agency IRNA, calling the claims "unacceptable."
HORMUZ DISPUTE
The attacks, which ended more than a week of relative calm, revived concerns over freedom of navigation after Iran lifted its blockade of the vital waterway following a fragile ceasefire with the US.
Oil prices rose by more than 2 per cent as the renewed attacks reignited worries over global energy supplies and cast doubt on the durability of the US-Iran agreement.
"We are now in a sensitive period where potential alternatives to an Iranian toll or fee system are being explored," Andreas Krieg, a security expert at King's College London, told AFP.
"Iran is sending a clear signal that no alternative will be accepted."
Krieg said tankers trying to diverge through the Omani maritime corridor without registering with Iran would be punished, and called the attacks a "clear violation" of the ceasefire agreement and international law.
Maritime traffic had tentatively resumed after Washington and Tehran signed the memorandum last month, but Iran has insisted there will be no return to pre-war arrangements, under which vessels could pass freely through the strait.
Under the 14-point US-Iran memorandum, Iran and Oman, which border Hormuz, must hold talks "to define the future administration and maritime services" in the waterway with other Gulf states.
Qatar had previously refused to mediate under Iranian fire as Tehran launched an unprecedented aerial bombardment against Gulf states in retaliation for the US-Israeli strikes.
But Doha has since taken a more active role, hosting indirect talks between Iran and the United States last week.
