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| This image from video released by U.S. Central Command, shows an explosion at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, Iran, as three Corsair unmanned surface vessels fired by the U.S. military, hit the port. | Photo Credit: AP |
Washington/Tehran, July 14, 2026 — The United States carried out a fresh round of military strikes against targets in Iran early Tuesday, marking the third consecutive night of attacks and further escalating tensions in the volatile West Asia region.
U.S. President Donald Trump, while vowing continued pressure on Tehran, indicated that a diplomatic resolution was still within reach. “We’re going to hit them very hard tonight, and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday. Yet he added that a deal with Iran remained “possible.”
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) described the operation as part of a sustained campaign to degrade Iran’s military capabilities. “These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” it said in a statement.
One video released by CENTCOM showed explosions at Iran’s Bandar Abbas Naval Base after strikes by three American Corsair unmanned surface vessels.
Oil Markets Jittery
Global oil prices surged more than 9% in early trading amid fears that the conflict could further disrupt the critical oil shipping lane.
Iranian Retaliation and Strait of Hormuz Clashes
Iran responded with its own strikes and aggressive actions in the Strait of Hormuz. The country’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) claimed responsibility for missile and drone attacks on targets in Bahrain, including U.S. forces facilities, after sirens sounded in the Gulf nation.
Iranian media also reported that the IRGC hit two “offending supertankers” in the Strait of Hormuz. The United Arab Emirates confirmed that Iranian cruise missiles struck two Emirati oil tankers — the *Mombasa* and *Al Bahiyah* — in the southern lane of the strait, killing one Indian crew member and wounding at least six others (with some reports citing eight injured). The tankers were reportedly in Omani territorial waters at the time.
The IRGC warned that any cooperation with the “aggressor enemy” in the strait would delay its reopening and trigger a global energy crisis.
Other Developments
- Southern Iran’s Bushehr region was also hit in the latest U.S. strikes, according to Iranian state media.
- Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi arrived in Washington for talks with Trump, as the U.S. presses Baghdad to reduce Iranian influence amid the renewed fighting.
- Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sharply criticised Trump’s plan to impose fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, calling it an act of “piracy.”
The latest escalation follows a fragile period after earlier U.S. and Israeli actions earlier this year, which prompted Iran to restrict shipping in the strategic waterway.
The situation remains fluid, with both sides trading blows while diplomatic channels appear to remain cautiously open.