U.S. launches new attacks on Iran in retaliation for attacks on commercial ships, U.S. military says

BREAKING NEWSJul. 7, 2026, 9:29 PM UTCIran warIran warU.S. launches new attacks on Iran in retaliation for attacks on commercial ships, U.S. military saysThe attacks come as U.S. and Iranian officials have been negotiating about maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which some 20% of the world’s oil passed before the war. Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Commercial vessels are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on June 30. Amirhosein Khorgooi / AP fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Courtney Kube and Babak DehghanpishehThe U.S. military launched new attacks on Iran Tuesday in retaliation for Iranian attacks against commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said in a post on X.Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.“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,” CENTCOM said. “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.”The attacks come as U.S. and Iranian officials have been negotiating about maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which some 20% of the world’s oil passed before the war. Iran has argued that it has a right to charge a fee for ships passing through the strait. ShareAdd NBC News to GoogleCourtney KubeCourtney Kube is a correspondent covering national security and the military for the NBC News Investigative Unit.Babak DehghanpishehBabak Dehghanpisheh is an NBC News Digital international editor based in New York.