US-Iran War Live Updates: US strikes Iran again, says strikes aim to stop attacks on ships in Strait of Hormuz

US-Iran War Live Updates: US Central Command has confirmed a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, saying the operation is intended to further erode Tehran’s capacity to threaten civilian sailors and commercial vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz. In a brief statement, CENTCOM said the strikes were directed by President Trump to hold Iranian forces accountable.

Iranian state media reported explosions near the strait, in Sirik, Qeshm Island, Jask, and areas west of Bandar Abbas, though Hormozgan province’s governorate said no civilian casualties had been reported so far.

Sunday’s action follows three earlier rounds of strikes in the past week alone, part of a broader escalation that began on 7 July. On Saturday night, CENTCOM said it had hit roughly 140 Iranian military targets, including sites linked to drones, missiles, ammunition, surveillance and naval operations. Iran retaliated with strikes on US military installations in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman.

The exchange has strained a memorandum of understanding signed last month, which had sought a permanent halt to hostilities and required Iran to make “best efforts” to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial traffic. The strait carried close to a fifth of the world’s oil and gas before the war, and Washington views Iran’s recent drone strikes on tankers as violations of that agreement.

CENTCOM cited the attack on the Cyprus-registered GFS Galaxy as a trigger for Saturday’s intensified strikes, an incident that reportedly left a crew member missing. Iran says it has again closed the strait to traffic, while the US insists it remains open. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged both sides to show restraint, with the UN estimating around 6,000 seafarers stranded in the waterway because of the conflict.

Follow for more on the latest developments in West Asia.