U.S. strikes Iran over latest ship attack and Tehran responds by hitting Arab states

By — Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Jon Gambrell, Associated Press By — Will Weissert, Associated Press Will Weissert, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/u-s-strikes-iran-over-latest-ship-attack-and-tehran-responds-by-hitting-arab-states Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter U.S. strikes Iran over latest ship attack and Tehran responds by hitting Arab states World Jul 12, 2026 11:22 AM EDT DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States attacked Iran early Sunday over an Iranian strike on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz that set it ablaze and left one crew member missing. Iran responded with attacks on several countries in the Middle East, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Oman — the country on the other side of the strait, which Tehran wants to join it in managing traffic there. READ MORE: Fate of Strait of Hormuz challenges talks as Trump and Iran's supreme leader trade threats The fighting raised new questions about the interim deal Iran and the U.S. reached on June 17, beginning a 60-day period aimed at reaching a permanent end to the war. The midway point of that period comes within the week. The strait, a key route for the global supply of oil and natural gas, has become the key sticking point in negotiations, and fighting over the past week has left negotiations in danger of collapse. Iran says the strait is closed and the U.S. disagrees The U.S. military's Central Command said it hit some 140 targets, including missile and drone launch sites, ammunition dumps, communication equipment and other sites. It said the attacks, heavier than in recent days, would weaken Iran's ability to threaten shipping. "We bombed the hell out of them last night," President Donald Trump told NBC's "Meet the Press." Semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported that a navy officer was killed. Iran retaliated by attacking nations in the region hosting U.S. military forces, while insisting it alone must control the strait and potentially charge vessels for traveling through it. "The era of one-sided deals is OVER," Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament and a main negotiator, wrote. "We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking." WATCH: Renewed U.S.-Iran fighting threatens shipping and hopes of ending war The U.S. has launched three rounds of airstrikes targeting Iran in the last week over Iranian attacks on ships heading through the strait using a route off Oman, seeking to avoid the Islamic Republic's territorial waters. The U.S. military and Trump asserted that the strait remained open Sunday. Iran said the strait was closed until calm is restored, and it would consider targeting "additional enemy bases in the region" if it faced more attacks. The U.S. military said over 140 ships had transited the strait over the past week. A multinational body overseen by the U.S. Navy said traffic continued "at redu