WORLD EXCLUSIVE: News////us attacks iran as irgc claims strikes on us military sites in gulf - What You Need To Know

US attacks Iran as IRGC claims strikes on US military sites in Gulf

Oil prices rise as the US renews a blockade on Iranian ports and carries out a wave of air strikes.

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Cargo ships anchored at sea off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates
Cargo ships anchoring near the Strait of Hormuz at Khor Fakkan, off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates, on July 12, 2026, in a still from video [AFPTV]

The United States has launched another wave of attacks on Iran, striking what it said were military targets along the country’s southern coast and near the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran claimed fresh attacks on US military facilities across the region as a fragile ceasefire comes under growing strain.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees the US military in the Middle East, says it completed a 90-minute round of strikes against Iran at 7:30am Washington, DC, time (11:30 GMT).

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“CENTCOM launched precision munitions against coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island during the 90-minute wave,” it said in a post on X, claiming that the strikes further “degraded” Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

It followed earlier US attacks overnight, with fighter aircraft, drones and naval vessels striking “dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas”. These strikes coincided with Washington’s resumption of its naval blockade of Iranian ports, while oil prices climbed amid concerns over disruptions to global energy supplies.

Iranian media reported explosions in several cities and on islands along the country’s southern coast, including Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, Hengam, Sirik and Bushehr, where air defence systems were activated.

Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said more than 30 civilians had been killed in recent US attacks across southern Iran.

Hossein Kermanpour, a spokesperson for Iran’s Health Ministry, added that more than 260 people had been injured in the latest US attacks, with 222 discharged after receiving treatment.

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Separately, the Iranian army said 13 US missiles struck facilities at Bambour Garrison in Iranshahr, killing seven soldiers from the 388th Brigade and wounding several others. It said the attack targeted accommodation blocks, guard posts and a guesthouse and accused Washington of intending to inflict “maximum casualties”.

Reporting from Tehran, Global News Insight’s Tohid Asadi described “another night of escalation”, saying a bottled water facility in Dehloran, western Ilam province, was reportedly hit, while Iranian sources said projectiles struck soldiers’ accommodation at a military base in Bampur, in southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province.

Iran claims attacks on US bases

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched overnight attacks on US military assets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan in response to the latest US strikes.

The IRGC claimed it had inflicted heavy damage on the US Fifth Fleet headquarters, support facilities and fuel tanks in Bahrain, as well as a major US military logistics hub at Mina Abdullah in Kuwait.

The group also said it destroyed shelters housing US F-15, F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, as well as several MQ-9 drones.

Meanwhile, Jordan’s military said its air defences intercepted and shot down three Iranian ballistic missiles that entered the country’s airspace early on Wednesday.

The latest exchange comes less than a month after Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding that extended an April ceasefire and set out plans for talks aimed at ending the war that began on February 28 with Israeli and US strikes on Iran. Both sides have since accused the other of violating the agreement.

Trump threatens to hit infrastructure

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that attacks on Iran “will continue until I say enough”, adding that potential future targets could include power plants and bridges.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump also said the US had warned Tehran to return to negotiations. “I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,” he said.

Alongside the military strikes, the US said it had resumed its naval blockade of vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas, with the measure taking effect at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday.

Reporting from Washington, DC, Global News Insight’s Mike Hanna said the US had deployed significant naval assets to the region. “There are a huge number of US naval vessels in the region; CENTCOM says there are some 21 US vessels,” he said.

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“They will attempt to blockade that Iranian route through the Strait of Hormuz and turn back any ships that have any connection to Iran … But this is complicated because, unlike the previous naval blockade, the US is also saying it will protect vessels using the Omani shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.”

The renewed tensions follow Iran’s closure of the strategic waterway after Oman announced a new shipping transit corridor through the Strait of Hormuz. Before the closure, the IRGC had warned commercial vessels to use only routes through the strait approved by Tehran, which it says is a clause in the memorandum of understanding signed by both sides in June.

On Wednesday, the IRGC warned it could close “all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies”, according to Iran’s IRNA news agency.

“Regional energy exports are either shared by all, or denied to all,” the statement said.At least two vessels were stopped with “warning shots” from the IRGC over the past 24 hours, a Tasnim News Agency correspondent reported from the strait.

Before the war began in February, roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments passed through the Strait of Hormuz each day.

Oil prices rose early on Wednesday as markets reacted to the US blockade. Brent crude climbed to $86.19 a barrel by 00:29 GMT, up sharply from near $70 a barrel before the latest escalation.

Separately, the US Treasury said it had frozen more than $130m by sanctioning several cryptocurrency wallets linked to Iran’s central bank.

Washington also announced fresh sanctions targeting what it described as a sanctions-evasion network linked to Iranian oil shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani.

The US State Department said the measures targeted 50 individuals, entities and vessels allegedly involved in facilitating Iranian oil exports. It described the network as “a major enabler behind Iran’s oil exports”.


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