Iran launched missile and drone attacks on US military facilities and allied bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, and Oman starting July 12 in retaliation for US strikes on its territory, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said, claiming destruction of US weapons and command centers at Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa base and Kuwait’s Ali Salem base [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. Jordan and Kuwait intercepted multiple Iranian-fired missiles to prevent damage [1, 2, 4, 7, 8].
The US military responded with multiple airstrikes targeting around 140 Iranian sites, including missile storage, radar installations, drone facilities, and coastal defenses in both southern and northern Iran, striking Tehran for the first time in the escalation [1, 2, 9, 4, 10, 11]. The US disabled an unladen oil tanker attempting to enter Iranian waters in the Strait of Hormuz after warnings. A naval blockade on Iranian ports was reinstated on July 14 [9, 4, 10, 11, 8].
Iran declared the closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, asserting sovereign control over the waterway and condemning US interference while the US denied Iran’s closure claim, maintaining the strait remains open for commercial shipping under US control [1, 4, 12]. US President Donald Trump initially proposed charging a 20% toll on shipping through the strait but later dropped the plan amid the fighting [2, 12].
The conflict has caused at least 28 deaths in Iranian territory since last week and severely wounded 10 others, including at least one Indian seafarer killed and 10 seriously injured in attacks against two tankers in the strait carrying 11 Indian nationals onboard [2, 4]. Brent crude prices briefly rose above US$85.25 a barrel over fears of energy supply disruptions from the tensions [10, 11].
Pakistan is mediating efforts to halt violence and resume negotiations in line with a 60-day interim peace deal signed in June, which is now effectively collapsing. Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said, "While the implementation of the MoU is facing challenges, Pakistan will continue to encourage all sides to end the violence and resume technical level talks in accordance with the MoU" [9].
US Central Command stated the military is "holding Iran accountable at the commander in chief’s direction" after President Trump announced the release of detained American woman Dena Karari from Iran as a goodwill gesture [9, 10, 11].
The next major scheduled event or potential de-escalation may depend on the success of Pakistan-led mediation efforts and whether the US and Iran resume talks under the June memorandum of understanding.
