Iran's drone and missile sites utterly destroyed by US strikes in explosive battle to secure the Strait of Hormuz

By MELISSA KOENIG, US REPORTER and ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: 06:32, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 06:55, 13 July 2026 US forces decimated Iran's drone and missile sites in their latest efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz secure for transiting cargo ships. US Central Command announced late Sunday night that American troops completed a new wave of 'offensive strikes,' hitting dozens of targets 'to degrade Iran's ability to continue attacking international shipping flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.' 'The Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global trade,' Central Command said. 'Iran does not control it.'  Iran responded by launching retaliatory strikes and insisting, 'The Strait of Hormuz is our territory.' As part of the US effort, CENTCOM said fighter jets, naval vessels and drones - including new one-way attack sea drones - struck air defense systems, coastal radar sites and missile and drone sites. The US military also shared dramatic video of the assault, showing fighter jets taking off from aircraft carriers in the dark of the night and bombs going off at various locations. 'US forces are postured and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available to commercial shipping, despite Iran's continued unwarranted aggression, harassment, threats and arbitrary declarations,' the agency posted on X. Iranian state media acknowledged the latest attacks on its soil early Monday, describing explosions in several locations with at least one person being killed.  Iran then retaliated with strikes on Gulf countries it perceives as helping the United States, as officials there argue they have the authority to control the waterway through which one-fifth of the world's oil supply traverses. US Central Command announced late Sunday night that American troops completed a new wave of 'offensive strikes' on Iran's military capabilities It said it struck dozens of targets 'to degrade Iran's ability to continue attacking international shipping flowing through the Strait of Hormuz' US fighter jets, naval vessels and drones - including new one-way attack sea drones - struck air defense systems, coastal radar sites and missile and drone sites 'The Strait of Hormuz is our territory, and we will not allow a rogue and child-killing army from the other side of the world to continue its illegal interference in it,' the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said. It had earlier accused the United States of violating international law and committing 'war crimes.' 'Only 25 days after the signing of the agreement to end the war, the United States has openly violated nearly all parts of that agreement,' the ministry said in a statement, according to CNN.   'By attacking Iran’s transportation infrastructure, fishing vessels, cargo barges, and meteorological facilities and buildings, the US has committed some of the most heinous acts of war crimes.' The ministry further alleged that the US military had ordered its allies in the Persian Gulf to carry out attacks on Iran, as it warned that it would conduct 'defensive strikes' on any country believed to be assisting US forces.  The ministry then called on the United Nations and the Security Council to hold 'the aggressor parties and those who aided and facilitated them accountable.' The comment came as world leaders expressed their fears that the war may continue despite US and Iranian forces agreeing to a 60-day ceasefire that was supposed to set up talks for a permanent end to the war. 'A return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences,' United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned. The attacks over the weekend have already set oil prices surging.  US crude oil futures were up 4.1 percent at $74.33 per barrel as of 9.15pm EDT, while Brent futures - the international benchmark, traded 3.88 percent higher, at $78.96 per barrel.  United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned against a full-scale return to war The Strait has long been a sticking point in the ceasefire negotiations, as Iranian officials insist they alone must control the waterway, through which one-fifth of the world's oil supply traverses The Strait has long been a sticking point in the ceasefire negotiations, as Iranian officials insist they alone must control the waterway - and have the authority to potentially charge vessels for traveling through it. They are demanding ships use a northern route through Iran's territorial waters.  Iran's chokehold on the strait, however, has loosened as the US military provided support to vessels moving along a southern route hugging the coastline of Oman. That new route has angered Iran, which launched repeated attacks on ships using it. Still, the Joint Maritime Information Center, a US-led naval coalition in Bahrain, has urged mariners to exercise 'extreme vigilance' as they traverse the strait.  Last week, Iranian forces struck three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The ships included a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker, as well as a Saudi crude oil tanker, according to Al Jazeera.  US forces then hit back at about 90 military targets, including at least 60 IRGC boats. In total, the three strikes this week hit more than 300 targets. 'US forces remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief,' a Central Command statement at the time said.  US President Donald Trump declared on Sunday that the US 'bombed the hell' out of Iran after Secretary of War Pete Hegseth vowed retaliation for an Iranian strike on a Cyprus-flagged cargo ship Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament and a main negotiator for the country, declared that Iran must maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz The latest round of attacks comes after Iranian forces attacked a container ship in the strait, setting it ablaze and leaving one crew member missing on Saturday.  Iranian forces had claimed the Cyprus–flagged container ship that was targeted on Saturday, which American authorities named as the M/V GFS Galaxy, was attempting to use an unauthorized route to cross the strait.  The ship suffered 'significant engine room damage,' the US military has said. Oman's maritime authority later said it rescued 23 crew members but one was missing. India's foreign ministry called the missing crew member an Indian national. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth vowed revenge, saying: 'Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.' The US military then retaliated by hitting some 140 targets, including missile and drone launch sites, ammunition dumps, communication equipment and other sites, the military said earlier on Sunday. 'We bombed the hell out of them last night,' Trump added to NBC's Meet the Press. Iran responded with attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Oman - the nation on the other side of the strait that Tehran has pressed to collaborate in managing shipping traffic. 'The era of one-sided deals is OVER,' Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament and a main negotiator, wrote on social media as the attacks continued. 'We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking.'  The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also declared the strait closed until further notice after the attacks over the weekend, vowing to attack 'additional enemy bases in the region' if it faced more strikes. This video grab taken from UGC images posted on social media on July 12, 2026, shows heavy smoke billowing in Abdali, at Kuwait's northern border Already on Monday, missile alert sirens sounded twice in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy´s 5th Fleet. There was no immediate word on damage.  Kuwaiti officials also said on Monday morning its air defenses were firing as Iran retaliated over US airstrikes targeting it. Kuwait´s military issued the statement, without immediately saying if there was any damage or casualties in the tiny Mideast nation. And in Jordan, officials said they intercepted four missiles within its airspace.  But even as the attacks continued on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Omani counterpart to discuss the strait. Araghchi explained that the meeting in Muscat, Oman, was meant to discuss 'appropriate mechanisms for ensuring the safe passage of ships,' according to the Associated Press. A regional official involved in mediation told the Associated Press that efforts to shore up the ceasefire continued Sunday. Pakistani officials also said its foreign minister spoke by phone with Iran's top diplomat and urged 'de-escalation' on both sides.  On Friday, however, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that while he had agreed to continue negotiating with Iran 'the Cease Fire is OVER!'  Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei released a written statement the following day, vowing to 'avenge the blood of the martyred leader and ​all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced killers,' per Reuters.  'Whether we ​are there or not, this will be accomplished, and soon every free person around ​the world will fulfill a part of this divine mission,' Khamenei's statement read. Khamenei has not been seen since he was appointed Supreme Leader after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in US-Israeli airstrikes on February 28, when the war started.