Trump launches more strikes on Iran in effort to secure Strait of Hormuz amid attacks

By MELISSA KOENIG, US REPORTER and ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: 22:41, 12 July 2026 | Updated: 22:59, 12 July 2026 The United States has launched additional strikes on Iran in an effort to secure the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway. US Central Command announced on Sunday that at 5pm EDT, forces began launching strikes on the country 'to continue degrading their ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz.' It noted that President Donald Trump directed the strikes to 'hold Iranian forces accountable' after he declared on national television that the strait was open.  The governor of Qeshm Island near the strait also told Iran's state-run IRNA news agency that projectiles were fired at military targets, with no casualties. Explosions were also heard in the coastal city of Bandar Abbas and Hajiabad city to the north. A US official speaking with the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity said a few strikes were conducted on missile and air defense systems and paramilitary Revolutionary Guard boats at a couple of locations to further degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping. The strait, a key route for the global supply of oil and natural gas that has long considered an international waterway, has become a sticking point in ceasefire negotiations. As tensions remained, Iranian forces attacked a container ship in the strait, setting it ablaze and leaving one crew member missing on Saturday. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth vowed revenge, saying: 'Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.'  President Donald Trump directed additional strikes on Iran on Sunday to secure the Strait of Hormuz waterway Shipping vessels are pictured in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday 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. As the US retaliated, at least six Middle Eastern countries sounded alarms, with Iran claiming responsibility for strikes in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Oman, while Qatar announced it had intercepted a missile attack. Iran then 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. But Iranian officials insist they alone must control the strait - and have the authority to potentially charge vessels for traveling through it.  '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.  '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 attack, vowing to attack 'additional enemy bases in the region' if it faced more attacks. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.