The U.S. military said it carried out what it called self-defense strikes on Iranian radar and drone control sites over the weekend, while Iran said it targeted an air base used in the U.S. attack as the two countries continued to trade strikes amid talks to end their war. U.S. Central Command said Sunday in a post on X that the strikes had been carried out in Goruk and the island of Qeshm “in response to aggressive Iranian actions,” saying Iran had shot down a U.S. MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters. U.S. fighter aircraft eliminated Iranian air defenses, a ground control station and two one-way attack drones “that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters,” the command said, adding that no U.S. service members were harmed. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Monday that its aerospace force had targeted the source of what it called a U.S. attack on a telecommunications tower on Sirik Island in Hormozgan province. It did not give the location of the base. Trump's new demand muddles Iran deal In a statement carried by Iranian state media, the IRGC said that if U.S. attacks continued, its response would be “completely different” and Washington would be responsible for the consequences. The Kuwaiti army said in a post on X that it was “currently responding to hostile missile and drone threats” and that any sounds of explosions were the result of air defense systems intercepting attacks. It did not say where the attack was coming from or what was being targeted, but Kuwait hosts a U.S. air base that has previously been attacked by Iran and its proxies. The United States and Iran have traded strikes several times since agreeing to a ceasefire in early April, including last week when Iran also targeted an air base. Negotiations over a broader agreement are dragging on amid disagreements on several issues, including the future of Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. In a social media post early Monday, President Donald Trump told critics of the delay to “just sit back and relax,” saying, “Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A. and those that are with us.” The war the U.S. and Israel launched on Feb. 28 has killed thousands of people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, as well as 13 U.S. service members. It has also sent global energy prices soaring after Iran responded by effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route that carried a fifth of the world’s oil supply before the war. Trump said Friday that Iran must agree to never have a nuclear weapon, the Strait of Hormuz must be reopened for “unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions,” and that any mines in the waterway must be destroyed. Iran has accused Trump of stalling the talks with “excessive demands.” Also complicating the U.S.-Iran talks is Israel’s war in Lebanon, where Israeli military operations against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia have continued despite a ceasefire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel seeks direct control over more of Lebanon after Israeli troops captured Beaufort Ridge, a medieval castle and key strategic site, in their deepest incursion into the country in more than 25 years. A U.S. official said Sunday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun as part of ongoing diplomatic negotiations and proposed a plan that would “create space for gradual de-escalation and an effective cessation of hostilities.” The official did not say when the conversations took place.
The U.S. military said it carried out what it called self-defense strikes on Iranian radar and drone control sites over the weekend, while Iran said it targeted an air base used in the U.S. attack as the two countries continued to trade strikes amid talks to end their war. U.S. C…
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A tanker identified as the Kaifan was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a July 21 report from UK Maritime Trade Operations. No ships were observed transiting the strait that day. Attribution of the strike and links to prior incidents have not been confirmed by the vessel’s owner.
Goldman Sachs has projected Brent crude averaging $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 in the following year, conditional on reduced Middle East tensions, while noting upside risks from potential shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz or Red Sea.
Brent prices rose above $91 per barrel amid recent U.S.-Iran exchanges and Houthi threats to Saudi shipments before edging lower on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators had proposed a 10-day ceasefire to preserve an interim agreement.
Opening summary: Iran claims attacks on strait of Hormuz ships amid fresh US strikes Welcome to our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East crisis. Iran attacked a tanker in the strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis announced they were imposing an immediate maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea after the two sides traded fire last week for the first time in years.
A Houthi official said the Bab al-Mandeb strait – at the southern end of the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade usually passes – would be closed to the Saudis in response to the kingdom’s “unjust blockade on Yemenis for over 10 years”.
Saudi Arabia said it would take “all necessary measures to protect its vessels in accordance with international law”. A 10 consecutive night of US airstrikes has not compelled Tehran to loosen its grip on the strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies.
But even as Iran’s president said the country had returned “full-scale war”, the Iranian interior minister travelled to Pakistan – a key mediator in the conflict – for talks. In key developments: The latest US strikes came hours after Donald Trump said Iran would pay “many times over” for killing US soldiers after multiple service members were killed in action over the weekend.
A tanker came under attack early Tuesday in the Hormuz strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the attack as well as two other attacks on ships in the waterway on Monday.
The US military’s Central Command said its latest airstrikes were to “degrade” Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the strait and included hitting military command centres and missile and drone launch sites. Iranian media reported strikes in parts of the country including Bandar Abbas, Tabriz and Bushehr, home to the country’s only operational civilian nuclear power.
Iran’s launched attacks in response against Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, which all host US forces. Oil prices softened after hitting their highest levels in more than a month in the previous session. Brent crude futures eased 0.4% to $88.87 a barrel by 0052 GMT on Tuesday while US West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was steady at $82.
47 a barrel. Democrats have seized on the deaths of three US troops killed in Iranian strikes to urge Trump to urgently reverse his resumption of the war with Iran amid widespread anxiety over climbing casualties. The Lebanese army began taking charge of security in three southern villages, the US said, as a deal to secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground.
US forces struck the tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10, killing three Indian crew members when munitions hit the engine room and adjacent areas. Maritime tracking data indicate the vessel had transported Iranian oil under US sanctions for several years and conducted offshore transfers prior to the strike.
The US military described the action as a precision operation, while reports note the ship was stationary at the time.