US Launches Strikes After Iranian Attacks on Commercial Ships
On Tuesday night, July 7, the United States initiated a series of powerful military strikes against Iran, according to a U.S. Central Command spokesperson. The strikes were a direct response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway. The spokesperson stated: "U.S. Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway. The U.S. strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire."
Details of the Attacks
Three tankers were struck by projectiles on Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz, as reported by the Press Association. These attacks targeted vessels moving through the waterway, which is central to negotiations seeking a permanent end to the war between the US and Iran. Hours later, the US revoked the 60-day licence issued last month by the Treasury that waived sanctions on Iranian oil. A US official said the licence was revoked because Iran’s actions in the strait were unacceptable and needed to be met with consequences.
According to UN International Maritime Organisation figures, the new assaults in the strait were the most in a single day since late April. The fresh attacks threatened to choke off the flow of traffic in the strait just as countries hoped to restore normal shipping practices and ease the global economic strain of the war.
Specific Incidents and Responses
One tanker was travelling off the coast of Oman when it was hit and caught fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre said. Iranian state television reported that the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault. The other two ships sustained some damage, but no one was injured, and both continued on their way, the UK maritime agency said.
Location details provided by the UK agency show all three attacks occurred off the coast of Oman or the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, making it likely that the ships were using the route near Oman. Tehran, which has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe, is suspected of attacking other ships that have used another route close to the Omani shore.
Geopolitical Context
The US is eager to press ahead with negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme and reaching a permanent end to the war launched on February 28. An interim deal has been strained. Previous attacks in the strait have sparked retaliatory strikes by the US. Iran then attacked Gulf Arab states. In peacetime, a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the channel.
Meanwhile, talks between Iran and the US appeared to be on hold until after the burial of Iran’s former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the war. Mourners at his funeral have called for the death of US President Donald Trump.
Reactions and Warnings
Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat was targeted in an “unacceptable attack” on international navigation and global energy security. He called it a “serious and explicit violation” of international law. In a post on X, he said Qatar holds Iran “fully legally responsible” for the attack.
Iran’s joint military command warned last Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the strait must use its approved routes. It also said that interference by US forces in the strait “will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction”. But the Joint Maritime Information Centre, a multinational body overseen by the US navy, told shippers on Monday that the route around Oman “has been expanded and remains available for all traffic”.
Speaking on Monday at the White House, Mr Trump warned Iran that it would need to “make a deal, or we’re going to finish the job”. “I’d rather make a deal, because I don’t want to affect 91 million people,” Mr Trump said. “We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply.”
Impact on Shipping and Negotiations
Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the vessels’ routes and later charge fees for passage, which would upend decades of practice in the waterway. The US and many Gulf Arab states say they will not agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait. An effort by Oman and the UN to launch a new route near Oman’s shore earlier sparked attacks across the Middle East.
Data firm Kpler reported that over last weekend at least 108 ships crossed through the strait using various routes.
Funeral of Ayatollah Khamenei
Iranian state television aired live images on Tuesday of hundreds of thousands of people walking towards the Jamkaran Mosque, just south of Qom, for a funeral service for Mr Khamenei. Images of Mr Khamenei and his son, Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, were displayed on banners and posters held by mourners. Mr Khamenei’s son has yet to make an appearance at the funeral ceremonies, which are unfolding over several days. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the air strike that killed his father.
Authorities have shut down streets, airspace and daily life for the mourning, which began on Saturday. The government-run IRNA news agency reported that Mr Khamenei’s body was taken on Tuesday night to Najaf, Iraq. Processions are planned for Wednesday in Najaf and Karbala. Mr Khamenei, who was 86, will then be returned to Iran to be buried on Thursday at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.
