US Central Command said the action was a response to “unwarranted aggression” in the Strait of Hormuz
Published 7 Jul, 2026 21:42
| Updated 8 Jul, 2026 05:27
A screenshot from a Press TV report shows a US strike in Bandar Abbas, Iran, July 8, 2026. © Press TV
The US announced a new round of strikes on Iran after three tankers were targeted while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian media reported explosions in the early hours of Wednesday in the southern province of Hormozgan, including at the ports of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, as well as on Qeshm Island, close to the narrowest section of the strait.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it was conducting “a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”
“The US strikes are in response to Iranian attacks 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,” CENTCOM said in a statement on X.
CENTCOM later said US forces struck more than 80 targets, including air defense systems, command centers, missile sites, and more than 60 small boats.
A video posted on social media reportedly shows the strikes on Bandar Abbas.
Shahid Haghani Port in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran pic.twitter.com/GyhZYbC2yj
— sarah (@sahouraxo) July 7, 2026
Press TV shared a video that it said shows another strike in the port. The outlet added that several people were injured.
Axios cited a US official as saying that the strikes were “four or five times bigger in scope and power” than the previous round ten days earlier.
Three commercial vessels sailing under the flags of Saudi Arabia, Liberia, and the Marshall Islands were struck earlier on Tuesday. Qatar and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for the incidents.
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari condemned the attack on the Marshall Islands-flagged LNG tanker Al Rekayyat and demanded that Tehran “refrain from endangering global energy supplies.”
Read more
Iranian media, citing unnamed officials, reported that the Qatari tanker was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz “after ignoring repeated warnings.” Press TV, citing a government source, said traffic through the strategic waterway should be conducted strictly in accordance with Iran’s rules and through officially designated routes.
The hostilities marked the third night of strikes since the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17, and the first strikes this month. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the attacks violate the accord; the military vowed a “decisive response.”
Read more
Iranian media later reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the military launched missiles and drones at 85 “key US military facilities” across the region and shot down an MQ-9 drone over Bushehr Province.
The latest round of bombing occurred on the sixth day of funeral processions for Iran’s longtime supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the opening wave of the US-Israeli air war on February 28. The ceremonies drew millions in Tehran and other cities. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attended a ceremony in the Iraqi city of Najaf on Tuesday.
