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Strikes, Strait, and Threats
The United States began a third round of strikes against Iran after U.S. Central Command said its forces struck in response to an attack on a civilian vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran accusing Washington of violating a ceasefire deal.
U.S. Central Command said a Cyprus-flagged container ship was hit and suffered "significant engineroom damage" while a civilian crew member was missing, and it said there were explosions in Bandar Abbas and Sirik, two towns along the shores of the strait, according to Iran state media.
The American military said, "The United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran's ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait," as Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was closed once again after a warning shot fired by its military struck a vessel using an unauthorized route.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on social media, "Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay," as the latest exchanges followed Iran and Oman's foreign ministers meeting on Saturday to discuss the strait.
The NBC News account said the latest round of strikes commenced at 5 p.m. ET and that CENTCOM declared the strait open, adding, "Traffic is flowing."
Assassination Warning and Mediation
While strikes escalated, President Donald Trump warned of a massive U.S. response to any Iranian assassination attempt, writing on Truth Social that "1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran" with thousands more ready to follow.
Caliber.Az reported that Trump’s comments came after he said on July 8 that he could be the target of an Iranian assassination attempt, and it said the Wall Street Journal reported Israel shared new intelligence with the United States suggesting Iran may be planning a fresh attempt to assassinate Trump.
France 24 said mediators tried to save the interim agreement as Trump threatened further missile attacks and Tehran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed revenge for the killing of his father and predecessor, the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In a written message carried by Iranian state media, Mojtaba Khamenei said, "Vengeance is the will of our nation and must inevitably be carried out," as Trump posted that any attempt on his life would lead the United States to "completely decimate" Iran.
The France 24 report also said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted Tehran had stuck to its end of the bargain under the memorandum of understanding and added, "There can only be mutual compliance."
What’s at Stake Next
The dispute over the Strait of Hormuz remained central to both sides’ next steps, with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps saying, "The Strait of Hormuz is closed until further notice and will remain closed until the end of U.S. interference in the region," while CENTCOM said, "Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz."
NBC News reported that the U.S. launched strikes to thwart attacks on traffic in the strait and said the ship, the M/V GFS Galaxy, could not continue its voyage after a fire and engine room damage, with a crew member missing.
ABC7 Bay Area said U.S. senior officials had previously said negotiations to further cement last month’s deal to end the war would be unable to progress without the strait being secure, and it said they even wanted Iran to offer public statements to that effect.
In parallel, the diplomatic track continued through mediation, with Oman saying it and Iran agreed to keep talking about the Strait of Hormuz "at the technical and political levels," and with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying he met with his counterpart in Oman to discuss "appropriate mechanisms for ensuring the safe passage of ships."
The stakes were also framed in terms of global energy flows, since ABC7 Bay Area said about a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the strait before the war began and that Iran’s grip on it during the war led to a global energy crisis, even as oil prices had dropped from wartime highs of $120 a barrel.
