US launches fresh strikes on Iran after IRGC attack on cargo ship

The U.S. and Iran have entered a new phase of direct confrontation. Iran's IRGC announced the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, declaring that no vessel will be allowed to transit until the United States ends its military interference in the region. The IRGC also claimed Iranian forces struck two vessels that ignored warnings and switched off their radio communications. 
Almost immediately afterward, fresh strikes were reported across southern and southwestern Iran, with reports alleging U.S. HIMARS launches from Bahrain and Kuwait. On Friday night and Sautrday early morning explosions have been reported in Bandar Abbas, Asaluyeh, Bushehr, Sirik, Minab, and Ahvaz. So far, only an explosion in Bushehr has been visually confirmed.US Central Command said on Saturday its forces launched a third round of strikes against Iran this week after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps allegedly attacked the M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

At 7:15 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command forces began launching the third round of strikes this week against Iran after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces blatantly attacked M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. A civilian crew…

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 11, 2026

A senior US official said American strikes targeted Iranian air surveillance radars, missile and drone storage facilities, missile and UAV launch sites, maritime surveillance radars and surface-to-air missile launchers, Axios reported. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on X that Iran had "made a poor choice" and would now face consequences, following US military strikes against Iranian targets.
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei in a message on Saturday described retaliation for his father’s death in a February 28 airstrike as “a national demand”, adding that it “will most certainly be carried out.” IRGC figures and clerics intensified calls for revenge over Khamenei’s killing, including a call to strike Trump, although US intelligence has found no new specific assassination plot.