Satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz.Image: Wikimedia
July 12, 2026, 5:31 p.mJuly 12, 2026, 5:40 p.m
The conflict over the Strait of Hormuz is once again escalating dangerously after mutual attacks by the USA and Iran. For the third time in a week, the US military bombed targets along Iran’s southern coast. In response, Iran’s armed forces attacked US targets in Jordan and the Gulf states and declared the strait closed again. Talks on a diplomatic solution for the future management of the strait ended without a breakthrough on Saturday.
During the night, the US military said it attacked around 140 military positions in Iran with fighter jets, drones and warships. The targets included missile sites, ammunition depots and coastal surveillance and communications infrastructure, according to the regional command responsible for the region (Centcom). A total of more than 300 targets were attacked this week. The US military cited Iranian attacks on commercial shipping as the reason for the bombings.
Iran’s armed forces launch retaliatory attacks on several countries
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ naval force defended its military operation in the strait. “At the instigation of foreign powers,” several ships traveled an “unauthorized route,” according to a statement broadcast by state radio. A ship that had switched off its tracking systems was then hit by a warning shot and stopped, it said. The British authority UKMTO reported that the crew of a container ship had disembarked and been rescued after a fire.
In response to the US attacks, Iran’s armed forces said they attacked, among other things, a military air base in Jordan with missiles. A logistics center for US warships was attacked in Oman. The regular armed forces also fired kamikaze drones at targets in Kuwait and Bahrain. The Gulf states, for their part, reported attacks with drones and missiles, but some gave the all-clear again a few hours later.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping traffic, contrary to Iranian statements. The US regional command Centcom, which is responsible for the region, also wrote in a post on the X platform that the strait, which is important for trade, remains an international waterway that Iran does not control.
The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit the international waterway. US forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary… pic.twitter.com/FS3TUBOZEj
— US Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 12, 2026
Centcom’s X-Post.
Strait of Hormuz at the center of the conflict
Representatives from Washington and Tehran agreed on a framework agreement in mid-June that should pave the way for a permanent end to the war. It was agreed to negotiate a final deal within 60 days. It also includes a call for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened. A ceasefire has also been in effect since the beginning of April. Nevertheless, new attacks continued to occur. From Trump’s perspective, the ceasefire is over.
Shortly after the start of the Iran War, the strait, which is important for global energy trade, proved to be an effective means of pressure for the leadership in Tehran. With threats and attacks, Iran had effectively brought traffic to a standstill. The restricted shipping caused energy prices to rise and at the same time increased domestic political pressure on the US President.
USA demanded commitment to opening the Strait of Hormuz
According to media reports, the USA had demanded that Iran commit to free and safe shipping and had given Tehran a deadline of Saturday to do so. The Iranian leadership should publicly assure that the strait is open and that Iran will refrain from attacks on merchant ships, wrote the “Axios” portal and the “Wall Street Journal,” among others, citing US government officials.
The Gulf state of Oman, which is mediating in the conflict, put forward a proposal for toll-free passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Accordingly, shipping traffic on the southern route should be free as before the war, reported CNN, citing an unnamed source. According to CNN, permits from Tehran would be required on the northern route along the Iranian coast, but no fees would be charged.
Talks on Saturday in the Omani capital Muscat initially ended without a breakthrough. However, representatives from Iran and Oman decided to continue the format at a political and technical level “in order to reach a common understanding on ensuring the safety of navigation” in the strait, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The truck carrying the coffin of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei drives during the funeral procession in Tehran.Image: AP
After the state funeral: Iran’s leadership demands revenge
Meanwhile, Iran’s leadership vowed retaliation for its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in late February. The former religious leader was buried in his hometown of Mashhad on Friday night. “Revenge is the demand of our people and must certainly take place,” said a message read on state television, which was attributed to Khamenei’s son and successor Moschtaba.
Since his appointment as the new supreme leader more than four months ago, Modshtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public. Since then there has been a lot of speculation about his whereabouts and his state of health. According to US media reports, he is said to have been seriously injured in the air strike that killed his father.
At the end of February, Israel and the USA began their war against Iran and attacked the country from the air for almost 40 days. Numerous influential generals and top politicians were deliberately killed, including Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei on the first day of the war. Iranian forces responded with massive missile attacks on US targets in the Gulf region. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier described the war between Israel and the USA as contrary to international law. (sda/dpa)