strikeMar 14, 2026

North Korea fires 10 ballistic missiles during US-South Korea military drills

Summary

YEONCHEON - North Korea fired more than 10 ballistic missiles into the sea on Saturday, South Korea’s military said, as the U.S. and South Korean forces conducted military drills and U.S. President Donald Trump renewed overtures towards Pyongyang for dialogue. Japan’s coast guard said it had detected what could be a ballistic missile that fell into the sea. It appeared to have fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, public broadcaster NHK said, citing the military. The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. The missiles were launched from an area near the capital Pyongyang, around 1:20 p.m. (0430 GMT) towards the sea off the country’s east coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. North Korea has test-launched a wide range of ballistic and cruise missiles for more than two decades in a push to develop the means to deliver nuclear weapons, which it is believed to have successfully built. As a result, Pyongyang has been under multiple U.N. Security Council sanctions since 2006 but it remains defiant, despite severe obstacles they created to its trade, economy and defence. South Korea and Washington this week launched the annual major drills in South Korea, which they say are purely defensive, aimed at testing readiness against military threats from North Korea. Hundreds of U.S. and South Korean troops conducted river-crossing drills on Saturday with hardware including tanks and armoured combat vehicles, overseen by the commander of their combined forces. The U.S. military has about 28,500 troops and squadrons of fighter jets stationed in South Korea. North Korea frequently displays its anger at such exercises, saying they are “dress rehearsals” for armed aggression against it by the allies. On Thursday, South Korea’s Prime Minister Kim Min-seok met U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington to discuss ways to reopen dialogue with the North. Trump is eager for any opportunity to sit down with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, South Korea’s Kim told reporters.

Actors involved

USIran

Sources

NEWS WIRE

See this event through different lenses

Compare how Western, Iranian, Israeli, Global South, and Pro-Peace perspectives frame this event.

Compare Perspectives

Community Notes

Loading notes...

Related events

Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedUSIranProxyRussia

Strait of Hormuz vessel crossings extend slide on fresh US-Iran attacks

○ 1 source

According to Kpler data, four commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Monday—two exiting (one carrying petrochemicals and one empty) and two entering (a bitumen tanker and an oil tanker)—down from seven the prior day, with no very large crude carriers or liquefied natural gas tankers observed.

Yemen's Houthis stated they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported receiving multiple accounts of a tanker struck by an unknown projectile in the strait, while Greek shipping company Dynacom Tankers stated that two of its vessels were hit by projectiles off Oman and a third by a drone at Russia's Novorossiysk terminal.

Location: Strait of Hormuz

SECTIONS Strait

Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedUSIsraelIranProxy

US and Iran dig in over the Strait of Hormuz, showing the limits of intensifying airstrikes

○ 1 source

U.S. and Iranian forces have conducted daily strikes in the Strait of Hormuz region following the collapse of an interim ceasefire, according to reports. The Trump administration has stated openness to diplomacy while announcing further retaliation for attacks on U.

S. personnel, and gasoline prices have risen amid the renewed exchanges. An analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies described the escalations as reflecting possible miscalculations by both sides, without confirmed evidence of their long-term effects.

Location: Strait of Hormuz

BEN FINLEY and FARNOUSH AMIRI, Associated Press

Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedUSIsraelIran

Mediators Presented Ceasefire Proposal to US, Iran - Reports

○ 1 source

According to reports citing unnamed sources, mediators including Qatar, Egypt, and Pakistan presented a 10-day ceasefire proposal to the United States and Iran. The proposal reportedly calls for a halt to hostilities, resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and efforts to preserve a memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran on June 18.

The US administration is reviewing the plan while preparing for possible failure, and Israel has been placed on high alert.

Location: Iran

Sputnik International

Jul 21, 2026strikeUnverifiedIran

Ships shun Strait of Hormuz as renewed fighting strains key oil corridor

○ 1 source

Vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz totaled 53 in the week through July 20, according to Lloyd's List Intelligence data, down from 157 the previous week, with tanker and gas carrier movements falling to 30 from 90. Kpler tracking showed daily crossings declining from averages above 20 vessels before July 15 to single digits by July 16 and remaining low thereafter.

These figures followed the reported start of a U.S. blockade and related maritime restrictions announced by Iranian authorities.

Location: Strait of Hormuz

Lee Ying Shan; Anniek Bao