The US military launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran early Sunday, hitting 140 military targets in the third round of attacks in a week, after Iran attacked a Cyprus-flagged container ship in the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command said the MV GFS Galaxy suffered significant engine-room damage and a crew member was missing, forcing the crew to abandon ship and take to a lifeboat, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations.
Minutes after the US strikes, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps closed the Strait of Hormuz until further notice, having fired a naval cruise missile at the vessel earlier. The IRGC then unleashed simultaneous missile and drone attacks on Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait, and claimed further strikes on a US base in Jordan and a port in Oman. Qatar’s air defence intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles above Doha, with loud booms shaking the capital, as the country’s defence ministry confirmed it was engaging attacks. The UAE and Kuwait also activated their air defences, urging residents to shelter.
“US hits 140 Iranian targets after ship attack; Iran closes Strait of Hormuz and strikes Gulf states.”
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote online: “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.” Iran’s parliamentary speaker and lead negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, responded on X: “The era of one-sided deals is OVER. We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking.” The exchanges came just hours after Iran’s foreign minister met his Omani counterpart to discuss safe passage in the Strait, and as Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, vowed revenge for his father’s killing.
President Donald Trump declared the end of the ceasefire that had halted the Middle East conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February. Before that war, about a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway now closed indefinitely.