U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted strikes against military targets in Iran on Saturday night, marking the third wave of strikes since President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire between the two sides “over” during the NATO Leaders’ Summit in Ankara, Turkey earlier this week. The latest operations followed another Iranian strike on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM stated that U.S. forces conducted the strikes to impose costs for the Iranian navy’s actions against the Cyprus-flagged vessel GFS Galaxy. The command reported that the attack heavily damaged the ship’s engine room, with one crew member missing.
“The United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait,” CENTCOM said in its announcement. It did not provide a full list of targets struck but confirmed the retaliatory nature of the operation.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed the developments. He reposted CENTCOM’s announcement on X and stated, “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.”
From the desk of U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, following renewed U.S. retaliatory strikes on Iran. pic.twitter.com/KoLEaSRRHf
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) July 12, 2026
The Iranian attack occurred after vessels attempted to use routes not approved by Tehran. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it fired on the ship for ignoring directions to transit through Iranian territorial waters, marking the fourth such strike on a commercial vessel in July alone.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) then declared the Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice. The regime stated the closure would remain in effect “until further notice” and until “the end of U.S. interference in this region.”
Saturday’s incident followed earlier discussions between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Omani officials on safe passage through the strait. No public commitments on reopening routes emerged from those talks.
The U.S. had issued an ultimatum expecting Iran to affirm open channels for all traffic and cease attacks on commercial ships.
The latest U.S. strikes mark the third round since President Trump declared the ceasefire “over” during the NATO Leaders’ Summit in Ankara, Turkey earlier this week. CENTCOM indicated U.S. forces remain prepared to respond to further threats, while President Trump reportedly returned to the White House early in order to address the situation.
