U.S. and Iran Exchange Strikes Over Strait of Hormuz After Attack on Container Ship

The United States and Iran have exchanged heavy military strikes after Iranian forces attacked the container ship M/V GFS Galaxy in the Strait of Hormuz, leaving a civilian crew member missing. In response to U.S. retaliatory strikes on over 140 targets, Iran declared the vital waterway closed and launched missile and drone attacks against regional nations hosting U.S. forces, including Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. The escalation has effectively collapsed a June 17, 2026, interim ceasefire agreement, sending global oil prices surging as shipping traffic through the strait slows to a five-week low.

Container ship missile attack

• ▪A civilian crew member of the M/V GFS Galaxy went missing following the Iranian missile attack on July 11, 2026
• ▪The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed the M/V GFS Galaxy was targeted because it was attempting to use an unauthorized route to cross the Strait of Hormuz
• ▪The Cyprus-flagged container ship M/V GFS Galaxy sustained heavy damage and an onboard engine room fire after being targeted by an Iranian missile in the Strait of Hormuz on July 11, 2026

US strikes on Iran

• ▪The United States military completed a subsequent round of strikes on July 12, 2026, hitting dozens of targets including air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, and missile and drone capabilities
• ▪Iranian state media reported that the United States military strikes killed at least one person and injured four others in southwestern Iran
• ▪The United States military launched retaliatory strikes on July 11, 2026, hitting approximately 140 Iranian military targets with munitions launched by aircraft, drones, and vessels
• ▪The United States military utilized one-way attack sea drones to strike Iranian targets for the first time during the operations on July 12, 2026

Strait of Hormuz closure

• ▪Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all ship traffic until further notice following the July 11, 2026, incident
• ▪United States President Donald Trump and U.S. Central Command disputed Iran's closure declaration, asserting that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to commercial traffic

Iranian regional counter-strikes

• ▪Oman's Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador and delivered a note of protest following drone attacks targeting sites in the governorates of Musandam and Al Wusta
• ▪Qatar's Ministry of Defense announced its armed forces intercepted several ballistic missiles, and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs held Iran fully and legally responsible for the attacks
• ▪Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes targeting United States military facilities and allied nations in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates

Ceasefire collapse

• ▪President Donald Trump declared that the interim ceasefire agreement with Iran is over, though he noted that negotiations would still continue
• ▪The escalating hostilities have jeopardized the 60-day interim ceasefire agreement signed by the United States and Iran on June 17, 2026, which aimed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
• ▪Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to avenge the killing of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on February 28, 2026

Global oil supply disruption

• ▪The number of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz fell to a five-week low of six vessels on July 12, 2026, as shipping traffic slowed amid safety concerns
• ▪Global oil prices surged on July 13, 2026, with Brent crude rising over 3% to reach more than $78 a barrel due to the escalating conflict in the Strait of Hormuz