The United States launched a new wave of military strikes against Iranian targets on July 13. The operation, directed by President Donald Trump, is designed to degrade Iran’s military capabilities to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a report by Al Jazeera detailing the M/V GFS Galaxy attack. This sudden escalation marks the total collapse of a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding signed in June 2026, which had temporarily paused the regional war that began in February.
Iran immediately launched retaliatory drone and missile attacks targeting American military sites across Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Jordan, as outlined in a dispatch from PBS. The United Nations estimates that approximately 6,000 seafarers are currently stranded in the waterway as the military engagement intensifies.
The immediate trigger for the month-old ceasefire’s failure occurred when an Iranian drone struck the Cyprus-registered container ship M/V GFS Galaxy. One crew member remains missing. Under the June agreement, Iran was supposed to make its best efforts to allow commercial traffic to pass through the strait without fees for 60 days. Trump noted that Washington and Tehran were close to a final deal before the drone attack, according to coverage by Gulf News.
Gulf nations are being drawn into the crossfire as projectiles clear the borders. Three individuals sustained injuries from falling shrapnel in Qatar. Oman reported a separate drone attack, and India confirmed the successful rescue of 10 of its citizens following an assault on an Omani vessel.
The shipping corridor handles roughly 20 percent of the global oil and natural gas supply. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to traffic. U.S. Central Command strongly disputed this claim at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 12. Military officials stated the waterway “is open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit” and confirmed that “traffic is flowing” independently of Iranian control.