The United States carried out a series of strikes on Sunday targeting Iranian missile systems, air defense batteries, and small fast-attack boats operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at multiple locations around the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported, citing a U.S. official.
According to the official, the U.S. military conducted the strikes approximately one hour before the statement was made. No details were provided regarding the extent of the damage or the specific locations that were targeted.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported on Sunday that more than 10 projectiles had struck Qeshm Island, located in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as hostilities between Tehran and Washington intensified.
On Saturday, July 11, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the reclosure of the Strait of Hormuz, declaring that maritime traffic would remain suspended until further notice.
The strikes carried out on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, marked the first direct U.S. military attacks on Iran since a wave of airstrikes launched late last month, which Washington said were in retaliation for Iranian attacks on commercial vessels.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a central flashpoint in the conflict that erupted on February 28, when the United States and Israel began military strikes against Iran.
Despite U.S. objections, Iran has maintained that there will be no return to the pre-war status quo in the Strait of Hormuz, when vessels could transit without Iranian oversight or fees. Tehran has also warned that ships attempting to use alternative routes instead of the designated shipping lane along its coast could be targeted.
Control over the strait—which carried about one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies before the conflict—has given Iran significant strategic leverage, effectively providing it with a powerful geopolitical bargaining tool.
