U.S. Strikes in Iran Prompt Tehran’s Retaliation Against Gulf Shipping

The United States and Iran have exchanged further blows as their interim peace agreement unravels. U.S. forces reportedly struck targets in southwestern Khuzestan province, while Iran has directed attacks at U.S. allies and shipping lanes in the Gulf.

The June 17 memorandum of understanding, intended to resolve the U.S.–Iran conflict, appears collapsed following these actions. The attacks have heightened insecurity around the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a passage the United States has vowed to protect while simultaneously re‑establishing a blockade of Iranian ports.

The latest U.S. strikes targeted the city of Abadan, home to the region’s oldest oil refinery, and the port city of Mahshahr, according to the deputy governor of Khuzestan province. A U.S. projectile also hit Qeshm Island, as confirmed by the local governor’s office.

Reuters reported that an unnamed U.S. official confirmed additional hits on Iranian military targets, aiming to eliminate “emerging threats.” These attacks followed a morning U.S. operation that targeted sites in Bushehr and Bandar Abbas to “degrade Iran’s capability to threaten commercial shipping.”

In retaliation, Iran struck two vessels in Omani waters near the Strait of Hormuz, killing a crew member, as reported by the United Arab Emirates. Iran also launched retaliatory attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan on the same day.

Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Tehran, described the situation as a “low‑intensity war that is becoming persistent,” adding that there were concerns the conflict cd may spiral into a full‑scale war.

Al Jazeera’s Victoria Gatenby, from Doha, noted another difficult 24‑hour period for Gulf and Jordanian nations as Iranian attacks continued to spread across the region.

Cycle of Escalation

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) acknowledged disabling two supertankers, claiming the vessels ignored repeated warnings. The IRGC accused the U.S. of inciting ships to take an “illegal route” and warned that cooperation with the “aggressor enemy” would only cause damage, delay the reopening of the Strait, and spark a global energy crisis.

Mediator Qatar condemned the tanker attacks, while Oman urged all parties to respect international navigation law in the waterway.

The International Maritime Organization expressed concern over the latest strait attacks, which claimed two seafarers’ lives, and called for the cycle of escalation to end.

The IRGC also reported an attack on U.S. military facilities in Jordan, and Bahrain—home to a U.S. naval base—claimed to have repelled an Iranian aerial assault.

Later on Tuesday, Kuwait’s armed forces engaged “hostile” aerial targets, and Bahrain’s Interior Ministry sounded sirens.

Amid the escalation, former President Trump announced he was scrapping a planned levy on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, replacing the fee with trade deals with Gulf allies.

“I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network.

They Shot First

Speaking from the White House, Trump accused Iran of triggering the latest round of military escalation that began on July 7.

“They shot first, and that was a big mistake…their actions were a first strike, and that was a mistake,” Trump said, noting he believed the U.S.–Iran Memorandum of Understanding was over and that he had notified Congress of resumed U.S. strikes on Iran.

Alex Vatanka, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, cautioned that Trump’s strategy of pressuring Iran may backfire, as the Iranians have consistently signaled they will respond to pressure with retaliation rather than concession.

Iran’s appar De­puty Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi denounced the U.S. for destroying the Memorandum and violating all its obligations, asserting that Iran now had no commitments under the agreement, including regarding the Strait of Hormuz. He criticized the U.S. for believing it could force Tehran back into negotiations through its own blockade.

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