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US strikes could last for hours
Fresh US strikes on Iran are expected to last for hours, a US military official has told the Associated Press.
Another official said the US military was targeting Iranian air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, ground-to-air missiles as well as launch sites for anti-ship cruise missiles and drones. Iranian port facilities are also being targeted, that official added.
Key events
Some background on the latest escalation:
Iran’s clerical rulers aim to install a permanent system to collect fees in what would amount to a huge shift of the balance of power in a region where Washington has long acted as guarantor of security.
At home, the leadership has used the mourning for Khamenei that began last week to show its control after Khamenei was killed with his daughter, granddaughter, son-in-law and daughter-in-law on the war’s first day.
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, who was in Iraq to participate in the funeral ceremonies, left for Iran after the US strikes on southern Iran, state television reported.
The ceasefire was intended to provide a 60-day window for negotiations on a permanent agreement, but indirect talks in Qatar ended last week with no sign of headway.
President Trump has repeatedly threatened to resume bombing, most recently on Monday when he told reporters in the Oval Office: “We’re either going to make a deal or we’re going to finish the job... We can knock down their bridges in one hour, we can knock out their energy supply.”
US president Donald Trump is currently in Turkey, where he met with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of the Nato summit in Ankara.
Trump has criticised Nato’s abilities to function without American leadership and power, expressing disappointment at the refusal of some Nato allies to join the Iran war he launched alongside Israel without consulting them.
Iranian Press TV says there are reports of renewed explosions on Qeshm island, and several blasts heard on Kharg island.
We’ll continue to provide updates as they come in.
Qatar has blamed Iran for attacking commercial vessels in the strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, including the huge Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker, the Al Rekayyat, which was reportedly struck overnight by a drone that caused a fire in its engine room. The crew were safe and being evacuated.
A Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker, believed to be the supertanker Wedyan, was also damaged off Oman, maritime security sources said. The cause was not immediately clear.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said it had summoned Iran’s deputy ambassador and handed him a protest note after the attack on the tanker.
Iran’s foreign ministry said Qatar’s accusations were perplexing and that Tehran was diligently fulfilling its commitments but asserted that commercial vessels faced risks for using routes not coordinated with Iran.
A second US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial indications were that Iran had fired at three commercial vessels.
A quick wrap-up of the latest
Weeks after signing an interim MoU to end the war, the United States and Iran have struggled to maintain the fragile truce, with the fight over the control of the strait of Hormuz catalysing continued retaliatory actions.
A day after Iranian strikes on three commercial vessels, the US has today launched fresh strikes on Iran.
If you are just getting up to speed, here is the latest.
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The US military launched a series of strikes against Iran on Wednesday, US Central Command confirmed. A US official said those strikes targeted Iranian air defense systems, port facilities, coastal surveillance systems, ground-to-air missiles as well as launch sites for anti-ship cruise missiles and drones.
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The US said the strikes were in response to Iranian attacks a day earlier on three commercial vessels that were transiting the strait of Hormuz. “Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire,” a US military statement said.
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Prior to the attacks, the US also revoked a temporary sanctions waiver for Iranian oil with the US Treasury cancelling a license that had allowed Iran to produce, sell and deliver crude oil and related products through 21 August. Some have described the move as a potentially major blow to the agreement.
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Iran’s foreign ministry lashed out against the US, vowing to “take whatever measures it deems necessary to safeguard its national interests and security”. The ministry also accused the US of “treacherous action” and “major violations” of the MoU. Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, insisted Iran would “take decisive actions to safeguard its national interests and security”.
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Iranian media said six projectiles hit the area of Taheroui pier in Sirik in southern Iran. No civilian deaths were reported, but several people were injured by shrapnel from an “enemy projectile” that hit a commercial pier in Sirik, according to an Iranian state TV reporter. The reports said strikes also hit fishing piers in Sirik and in Bandar Abbas, where several fishing boats were set ablaze.
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This marks the first known US military strikes against Iran since late last month, when there were several days of strikes and counterstrikes between the two. It comes a day after huge crowds mourned Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the holy city of Qom.
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The benchmark US oil contract increased more than 2.5% when markets opened Wednesday, as Middle East tensions rose with new US attacks on Iran. West Texas Intermediate crude, one of the two major global benchmarks, was up 2.63% at $72.29 per barrel. It rose 2.76% on Tuesday.
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A US official said earlier that negotiators continued to work in good faith toward a final agreement with Iran. But control of the strait has given Tehran immense leverage, effectively allowing it to force a stalemate with the world’s most powerful military. Analysts say Tehran uses attacks on ships to underscore that leverage as it negotiates a long-term peace deal with the US.
Oil rises moderately as Middle East tensions spike again
The benchmark US oil contract increased more than 2.5% when markets opened Wednesday, as Mideast tensions rose with new US attacks on Iran.
West Texas Intermediate crude, one of the two major global benchmarks, was up 2.63% at $72.29 per barrel. It rose 2.76% on Tuesday.
The rise came after US forces launched strikes on Iran after three commercial vessels were attacked in the strait of Hormuz, according to the US military.
Iranian state media reported numerous explosions around the strait, including six on the island of Qeshm, seven in the city of Sirik and more in the major port city of Bandar Abbas.
Oil prices are still well below the peaks they shot up to as the war began in late February and Iran largely shut down the strait of Hormuz.
US revoked Iran oil waiver prior to attacks
The US revoked a temporary sanctions waiver for Iranian oil after three tankers were struck in the strait of Hormuz. The move came before fresh US strikes on Iran today.
The US Treasury on Tuesday cancelled a licence that was announced in June that had allowed Iran to produce, sell and deliver crude oil and related products through 21 August.
“Iran’s actions in the strait were wholly unacceptable to the United States and will be met with consequences,” a US official told Agence France-Presse.
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 behavior.”
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.
US strikes could last for hours
Fresh US strikes on Iran are expected to last for hours, a US military official has told the Associated Press.
Another official said the US military was targeting Iranian air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, ground-to-air missiles as well as launch sites for anti-ship cruise missiles and drones. Iranian port facilities are also being targeted, that official added.
Iran’s Fars news agency, citing a port official, said black smoke behind Bandar Abbas fish market caused by “enemy projectiles” has set fire to several civilian fishing boats.
Earlier on Tuesday, three civilian vessels were hit in the strait of Hormuz – the most in a single day since late April, according to UN International Maritime Organisation figures.
The renewed hostilities threaten to again disrupt shipping transiting the Gulf channel.
Ending Tehran’s stranglehold on the strategic waterway, which disrupted global oil and gas supplies and drove up fuel and food prices, had been a key demand in previous negotiations.
However, the initial deal reached between the US and Iran – known as the Islamabad memorandum of understanding – only secures safe, toll-free passage of the strait for 60 days, pending the outcome of a final agreement on Tehran’s disputed nuclear plans.
The pact also leaves it to Iran and Oman, in conjunction with other Gulf states, to “define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz”.
In the meantime, Iran has continued to try and exert leverage over the channel, including demanding ships seek permission to transit and raising the spectre of future charges.
This has included claims by Tehran that only it is permitted to carry out mine clearance in the strait under the terms of the interim agreement, after Oman agreed to work with Britain and France to make sure the sea route remained open.
US strikes in Iran targeted their air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, drone launch sites, an unnamed US official told Reuters.
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, said the US Treasury’s earlier decision to revoke a license that had authorised the sale of Iranian oil, was a “blatant violation” of Article 10 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
He added the subsequent strikes “constitute a serious violation” of Articles 1 and 2 of the agreement, which was signed last month.
Gharibabadi insisted Iran would “take decisive actions to safeguard its national interests and security”.
Iran accuses US of 'major violations' of memoradum of understanding
Iran’s foreign ministry has accused the US of “major violations” of the Islamabad Understanding which had been signed by the two sides last month.
In a statement, the ministry vowed to “take whatever measures it deems necessary to safeguard its national interests and security”.
It said: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the treacherous action of the United States in revoking the suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil sales, which constitutes a violation of Paragraph 10 of the ceasefire understanding dated 28 Khordad 1405 (18 June 2026), and holds the US government responsible for the consequences of this breach of commitment.
“Over the past 20 days, the United States has repeatedly committed both minor and major violations of various provisions of the understanding, either directly or through the actions of the Zionist regime against Lebanon.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, while warning against the consequences of the United States’ breaches of commitment, declares that it will take whatever measures it deems necessary to safeguard its national interests and security.”
There have been explosions in several areas in the south of Iran, according to local media.
Several explosions have been reported in the port city of Sirik, near the Strait of Hormuz, while six projectiles reportedly struck the area of Taheroui Pier.
Explosions were also heard in Qeshm Island, the largest island in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz, and Bandar Abbas.
Patrick Wintour
Earlier in the day, Qatar warned Iran it will bear full legal responsibility after three tankers, including a Qatari LNG vessel, were struck within hours in the strait of Hormuz.
All three were hit close to Oman, which had suggested a new shipping corridor close to its coastline – a proposal Iran opposes as it wants to charge ships to use the waterway.
Iran blamed the US for the incident, saying Washington’s efforts to open up new routes through the strait constituted a breach of the memorandum of understanding the two parties had signed.
Tehran claims the memorandum is specifically worded to leave it, in consultation with Oman, to manage the reopening of the strait with the aim of commercial traffic returning to prewar levels within 30 days.
At a briefing in Tehran, foreign ministry officials insisted Iran had a right to impose fees on all ships using the strait.
US military launches strikes against Iran in retaliation over attacks on commercial vessels
The US military has launched a series of strikes against Iran, US Central Command said Tuesday, adding that the strikes were in response to what it said were Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
“U.S. Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping,” a US military statement said. “Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire.”
It was unclear what specifically the U.S. targeted but Iranian media said six projectiles hit the area of Taheroui pier in Sirik in southern Iran. This marks the first known US military strikes against Iran since late last month, when there were several days of strikes and counterstrikes between the two.
