U.S. STRIKES IRAN AFTER ATTACK ON CYPRUS-FLAGGED SHIP IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ

The U.S. military said Saturday night that it had begun launching strikes against Iran in response to an attack on a civilian container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Central Command.

CENTCOM said Iranian forces attacked the M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship. CENTCOM said one civilian crew member is missing and that the vessel is unable to continue its journey because of an onboard fire and significant engine-room damage.

The strikes began at 7:15 p.m. Eastern time and are the third round of U.S. strikes against Iran this week, according to CENTCOM. A U.S. official said the strikes were ongoing.

Separately, Reuters reported that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said early Sunday local time that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz until further notice, according to Iranian state media.

Iranian state media said the IRGC Navy made the declaration after firing what it described as a warning shot toward a commercial vessel that was allegedly attempting to transit through an unapproved route. Iran's account and the U.S. account of the same incident differ sharply: Iran describes a warning shot at a ship on an unapproved route, while CENTCOM describes an attack on a civilian vessel.

CENTCOM said Iran had been given another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to a memorandum of understanding after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels, and had again failed to do so.

What is now confirmed is that a named commercial vessel was attacked, that a crew member is missing, that the ship sustained fire and engine-room damage, and that the United States has responded with strikes inside Iran. What remains unconfirmed is the full extent of the closure, the scale of the U.S. target list, Iranian casualties and whether commercial traffic across the strait has physically stopped.

The escalation follows a day of diplomacy that had appeared to be moving in the opposite direction. Reuters reported earlier Saturday that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi discussed arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the Iranian foreign ministry statement reported by Reuters, Araqchi and Albusaidi exchanged views on mechanisms for safe passage through the strait in connection with ceasefire-related discussions.

Oman's state news agency later said Omani and Iranian negotiators would continue talks at the technical and political levels, according to Reuters.

No safe-passage agreement had been announced publicly before the IRGC Navy declaration was carried by Iranian state media.

Reuters reported that Washington has demanded Iran publicly state it will stop attacks on ships in the strait and that all lanes remain open without tolls. Reuters also reported that U.S. officials said Friday that Iran must guarantee free and secure navigation, with no compulsory tolls or closed lanes.

Before the IRGC announcement, Reuters reported that no attacks had been reported on Friday or Saturday, although mediators were attempting to arrange broader discussions involving Iran, the United States, Qatar and Pakistan.

That makes the timing of the IRGC declaration especially significant. The statement appears to interrupt or challenge a diplomatic track that was focused on safe commercial passage, open lanes and possible technical arrangements for navigation through the strait.

The declaration does not, on its own, prove that Iran has physically blocked every commercial transit through the waterway. It establishes an Iranian claim and a stated enforcement posture, not a verified outcome.

A Joint Maritime Information Center advisory reviewed for this article and issued before the IRGC declaration classified the Hormuz threat level as severe, assessed further deliberate hostile Iranian activity as likely and warned of intensified Iranian hailing, routing pressure, navigation interference and continuing mine risk.

The same advisory recorded Strait of Hormuz traffic far below the historical average of roughly 138 vessels per day.

Because that maritime advisory predates the closure declaration, it should be understood as risk context rather than confirmation that the new IRGC order has been fully enforced.

The International Maritime Organization says the instability in the Middle East has created a rapidly evolving situation for global shipping and that it is monitoring developments to protect more than 20,000 seafarers in the region, including seafarers stranded on vessels unable to exit the Strait of Hormuz.

The International Maritime Organization says it is also working under an evacuation framework for merchant ships and seafarers affected by the conflict, but the organization's public Hormuz page says the evacuation plan is currently paused.

The organization said around 20,000 seafarers, port workers and offshore crews are affected in the region, and that its primary concern remains the humanitarian and safety implications for people working aboard ships in the area.

That means the IRGC declaration is not only an energy-market or military story. It is also a maritime labour and civilian-safety story involving crews, port workers, offshore personnel and commercial operators who may now face even more uncertainty.

The immediate commercial effect will depend on whether shipping operators treat the Iranian declaration as enforceable, whether insurers adjust risk assumptions, whether maritime authorities issue new advisories and whether any naval force challenges or escorts traffic through the strait.

That could change quickly. If the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, the Joint Maritime Information Center, the International Maritime Organization, U.S. Central Command, Oman, Iran, a flag state or a shipping company confirms diversions, blockage, escort operations, damage or a new incident report, the picture would change immediately.

The situation has now moved from a declaration to an exchange of force. Iran says it struck and halted a vessel using an unapproved Hormuz route, CENTCOM says a Cyprus-flagged container ship was attacked and damaged with one civilian crew member missing, and U.S. forces have launched another round of strikes against Iran. The central unresolved facts are the crew member's status, the strike locations, the U.S. target list, Iranian casualties, the physical impact on traffic, the insurance response and whether Oman's mediation track remains alive.

Fact-check date: July 12, 2026 / 00:20 UTC

Article type: Breaking / Developing

Sources: U.S. Central Command; Associated Press; Reuters; CNN; CBS News; NBC News; Axios; Iranian state media and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy statements as reported by Reuters; Omani and Iranian diplomatic statements as reported by Reuters; International Maritime Organization Strait of Hormuz crisis page.

Developing note: Details may change as officials release information. This article should be updated immediately if CENTCOM, Iran, Oman, UKMTO, JMIC, the IMO, Cyprus, the vessel operator, a shipping company or another maritime authority confirms the missing crew member's status, the exact incident location, the U.S. target list, strike results, traffic stoppage, commercial diversions, Iranian retaliation, closure boundaries or emergency mediation steps.