This frame taken from AFPTV video footage on July 12, 2026, shows a cargo ship anchored in Khor Fakkan, near the Strait of Hormuz, off the east coast of the United Arab Emirates.
– | AFP | Getty Images
Iran has responded to new U.S. attacks by launching attacks on U.S. military bases in the Gulf, deepening the conflict over the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
The exchange casts further doubt on the future of the interim peace agreement signed last month. The agreement was intended to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and pave the way for 60 days of negotiations to end the war.
Iranian airstrikes targeted U.S. military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman and Qatar and were said to be retaliation for new U.S. bombings, Iranian state media said.
Sirens sounded for the third time in Bahrain on Monday, Reuters reported, citing the interior ministry. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it targeted US military facilities in Bahrain and radar systems in Oman as part of its latest retaliatory strikes.
U.S. Central Command announced Sunday that U.S. forces successfully struck dozens of targets in multiple locations to reduce Iran’s ability to continue attacking ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Centcom said in a post on
The United States and Iran have also issued conflicting statements about whether shipping in the Strait of Hormuz remains open.
The Strait of Hormuz, located in the Gulf between Oman and Iran, is recognized as one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints. This narrow waterway typically handles about 20% of the world’s oil shipments.
Oil prices soared on Monday morning as a series of recent attacks and counterattacks renewed concerns that logistics through the Strait of Hormuz could be further disrupted.
international benchmark brent crude oil Futures for September delivery rose 4% to trade at $79.02 per barrel, but the U.S. west texas intermediate Futures for August delivery rose 4.1% to $74.27.
“The era of unilateral deals is over. We said, keep your promise or pay the price. Reality is knocking,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Berger Ghalibaf said in a social media post on Sunday.
Ghalibaf’s comments were posted alongside an image of Article 5 of the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran related to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US and Iran had agreed to continue peace talks, but said the ceasefire established in last month’s peace deal had been broken.
