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2h ago

U.S. Reinstates Blockade and Pounds Iran as Control of the Strait of Hormuz Hangs in the Balance

The move deepens fighting over a vital oil corridor and raises the risk that the interim 60‑day truce will collapse and disrupt global supply.

Three boys play in the shallow waters of the Strait of Hormuz, as a plume of smoke rises from an explosion in the background, off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on July 13.
This image from video released by US Central Command shows an explosion caused by US military one-way attack drones at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, Iran, on July 12, 2026.
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Musandam, Oman, on July 12, 2026.
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Overview

  • U.S. Central Command confirmed a fresh round of precision strikes on Iranian coastal defenses, missile and drone sites and maritime capabilities that U.S. officials said began Monday to degrade Iran’s ability to target commercial shipping.
  • President Trump ordered the naval blockade of Iranian ports to be reinstated and initially proposed a 20% reimbursement fee for passage before publicly replacing the fee with promised Gulf investment commitments.
  • Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed “until further notice,” and the IRGC and allied forces have struck regional bases and multiple tankers, killing and wounding seafarers and military personnel on several ships.
  • The strait remains a critical chokepoint that previously carried about 20 million barrels of oil and petroleum products a day, and recent attacks and U.S. strikes have driven Brent crude sharply higher and reduced ship traffic through the waterway.
  • The new military exchanges have put the interim truce at serious risk, prompted legal and diplomatic pushback over any tolls from the International Maritime Organization and kept regional mediators working to prevent a wider war.