Iran has sharply escalated its military operations in the Gulf by targeting multiple U.S. sites across Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan, responding to new American air and sea strikes. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to ship traffic until further notice, a critical waterway through which a significant portion of the world’s oil supply passes.

The attacks by Iran destroyed radar installations in Oman and struck fuel tanks and ammunition depots at Jordan’s Prince Hassan Air Base, alongside assaults on U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. These moves came soon after the U.S. launched strikes aimed at weakening Iran’s air-defense positions, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal radar systems. Notably, the United States deployed one-way attack sea drones for the first time in this campaign.

The increased hostilities triggered widespread regional security alerts. The United Arab Emirates warned its population of impending missile attacks, Qatar intercepted several ballistic missiles, and Bahrain urged civilians to seek shelter. Meanwhile, U.S. officials insisted that the Strait of Hormuz stayed open for commercial shipping, contrasting with Iran’s official closure.

Adding to the conflict’s intensity, a Cypriot-flagged container ship, the M/V GFS Galaxy, suffered damage during one of Iran’s attacks, and a crew member was reported missing. These attacks threaten maritime security and global oil markets, as about one-fifth of global oil shipments transit the Hormuz strait according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

This surge in violence disrupts an interim U.S.-Iran understanding from June 2026 that aimed to reopen Hormuz and establish a temporary ceasefire lasting 60 days to enable diplomatic talks. However, the recent flare-up followed a series of Iranian assaults on commercial vessels earlier in the month, breaking the fragile truce. NATO allies had already discussed launching a British-French multinational maritime operation to secure the strait in a meeting held earlier in July.

Global markets reacted swiftly to the latest escalation. After Brent crude prices had briefly softened in early July during the ceasefire, they surged again, with prices rising over 4 percent following renewed hostilities and further disruption to tanker traffic through the Gulf.