Iran's military fired missiles at commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on July 6, 2026, striking two vessels and setting one ablaze. The attacks occurred during a multi-day mourning period for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The incident threatens to derail a recent memorandum of understanding as U.S. President Donald Trump warns Iran to make a deal or face military action, while Iranian officials refuse to negotiate under threat.
Strait of Hormuz tanker attack
- ▪United States officials reported that Iran's military fired at least two missiles at commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, striking two vessels
- ▪The attacks on the commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz resulted in significant damage but caused no casualties or environmental impact
- ▪A commercial tanker traveling south near Limah, Oman, in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by a projectile on its port side on July 6, 2026, causing a fire
Iran route control dispute
- ▪The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps deployed patrol boats to block an alternative shipping route near the Omani shore
- ▪Iran's Joint Military Command and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that all oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz must use Iran-approved routes
- ▪The United States and several Gulf Arab states have rejected Iran's demands to control shipping routes and charge fees for passage through the Strait of Hormuz
U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations
- ▪United States President Donald Trump warned Iran on July 6, 2026, that the nation must reach a deal or the United States would "finish the job."
- ▪Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that negotiations on a final deal will not commence if threats against Iran continue
- ▪Negotiations between the United States and Iran are paused during the multi-day mourning period for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Khamenei funeral in Qom
- ▪The multi-day mourning period for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began on July 4, 2026, and will conclude with his burial on July 9, 2026, in Mashhad
- ▪Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered in Qom, Iran, on July 7, 2026, for the funeral services of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Mojtaba Khamenei succession
- ▪Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
- ▪Banners at the funeral services displayed images of Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not yet made a public appearance
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