The United States and Iran exchanged intensive missile and drone strikes over the weekend and into Monday, July 13, 2026, following Iran's declaration that it would close the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. CENTCOM reported that its forces had struck Iranian air defenses, radar installations, and drone and missile capabilities using aircraft, naval vessels, and unmanned systems on Sunday, with additional waves concluding Monday AP. The Pentagon stated explicitly that Iran does not have the authority to unilaterally control the strait.

In response, Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed strikes on US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, destroyed radar systems in Oman, and hit fuel and ammunition storage at Jordan's Prince Hassan airbase The Guardian. Kuwait reported impacts on border posts and an offshore oil platform; the UAE intercepted Iranian projectiles over July 12-13; and Qatar came under attack for the first time in months. Explosions were reported Monday on Iran's southern coast, on Qeshm Island and in Bandar Abbas, facing the strait.

What distinguishes these July exchanges is their scale and scope. The current campaign has unfolded in at least four distinct waves of US strikes in under three weeks. CENTCOM struck Iranian targets on June 25 after the commercial vessel M/V Ever Lovely was attacked, targeting missile storage and coastal radar CENTCOM. A wider retaliatory strike followed July 7 after Iran attacked three commercial vessels; CENTCOM reported hitting roughly 80 targets with precision munitions CENTCOM, escalating to about 90 targets on July 7-8 CENTCOM. On July 11, after Iran struck a container ship, the US hit approximately 140 Iranian military targets using fighter aircraft and drones CENTCOM. A fourth wave, using aircraft and cruise missiles, followed shortly after CENTCOM.

The backdrop to these exchanges involves a negotiated arrangement that has now collapsed. Earlier this year, an agreement tasked Iran with clearing mines from the strait and guaranteeing safe passage, with a 60-day window of free transit for commercial vessels Al Jazeera. That ceasefire framework is effectively dead. On Sunday, Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, posted that "the era of one-sided deals is OVER," and warned counterparts to "keep your word or pay the price" The Guardian. The message signals that Iran intends to use the strait closure as leverage, not as a temporary negotiating position.

President Trump stated on Fox News that the US would "probably" take control of the Strait of Hormuz and should be compensated for doing so. This remark carries weight because it hints at American ambitions that extend beyond military deterrence. A permanent US claim on the strait's governance would be a new posture — one that regional states, several of them formal US allies now absorbing Iranian fire on their own soil, have not yet endorsed.

The roots of the current war lie in February 2026, when Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, was killed in US-Israeli airstrikes. The Pentagon's record shows that the campaign's foundation predates that event: in June 2025, the US struck the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant using bunker-busting "massive ordnance penetrator" bombs in Operation MIDNIGHT HAMMER Defense.gov DoD Strategy Document. That operation signaled the Trump administration's commitment to prevent Iranian nuclear capability. Thousands have been killed since Khamenei's death, chiefly in Iran and Lebanon.

The economic stakes are immediate and global. Brent crude oil rose more than 3% on Monday as markets accounted for the risk to shipping in the Gulf. Roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption normally passes through the strait each day. Even if the US disputes Iran's ability to enforce a closure, Iran's declaration has been enough to move oil futures. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that a return to full-scale war would carry catastrophic consequences—language consistent with earlier statements, but now issued as the ceasefire structure collapses.

What stands out in this phase is not the absolute tonnage of ordnance deployed, but rather the geographic expansion of the conflict. Within 48 hours, attacks or intercepted projectiles affected Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, and Qatar—pulling the entire American military network across the Gulf into the target set simultaneously. That simultaneity signals a shift in Iran's strategy and underscores the fragility of the security arrangements that regional partners, particularly the Gulf states, depend on.