US launches third Iran strike after IRGC attacks ship, closes Strait of Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most vital shipping lanes, has become a flashpoint in a rapidly deteriorating standoff between the United States and Iran. Early Sunday morning, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked a container ship transiting the waterway, then announced the strait would remain closed to all traffic until further notice. The vessel, the M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged carrier, suffered severe damage to its engine room in what the Guards described as a warning shot fired at a ship that had ignored their instructions to change course. One civilian crew member went missing in the attack; the rest of the crew abandoned ship and took to lifeboats.

Within hours, the US military launched its third round of strikes against Iran in as many days, targeting coastal installations along the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Explosions were reported across multiple Iranian cities—Bushehr, Asaluyeh, Chabahar, Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and Qeshm Island—as American forces worked to degrade what the Pentagon described as Iran's capacity to threaten commercial shipping. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on social media that Iran had made a poor choice and would now pay the price. The military statement was more measured: the US was imposing costs to protect civilian mariners and the free movement of commerce through one of the world's most critical waterways.

But the escalation did not stop with American strikes. Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed they had destroyed a command and control center and drone facilities at a US military base in Jordan. Across the Gulf, air defense systems in the United Arab Emirates engaged incoming missiles and drones. Qatar said it had intercepted a missile attack. Sirens sounded in Bahrain. Explosions were heard in Doha. The strikes killed at least seventeen people and wounded 115 others, according to Iran's Health Ministry. The cycle of attack and retaliation had accelerated dramatically, each side responding to the other's moves within hours.

All of this unfolded against the backdrop of a ceasefire that President Trump had declared dead. In late February, the US and Israel had begun military operations that eventually led to an interim agreement meant to halt the fighting. But over the past several days, that arrangement had collapsed. Trump said negotiations could continue, but the door had effectively closed. Iran had previously threatened to strike Israel if American attacks persisted, a threat that remained unexecuted but hung over every new round of hostilities.

The Strait of Hormuz itself is the real prize in this contest. Before the war began, roughly one-fifth of all traded oil and natural gas flowed through its narrow passage between Iran and Oman. Iran's control of the waterway during the conflict had triggered a global energy crisis, though oil prices have since fallen sharply from wartime peaks above $120 a barrel. For decades, the international community treated the strait as a shared waterway open to all vessels. Iran now insisted it remain under Iranian control, with ships transiting through Iranian territorial waters required to seek prior approval—though Iran said it would not charge tolls. The US urged mariners to use a southern route through Omani waters instead.

Diplomatic efforts were still underway, though their prospects seemed dim. On Saturday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had met with his Omani counterpart in Muscat to discuss mechanisms for safe passage. Oman, which sits on the strait's southern shore, has positioned itself as a mediator. According to reports, Oman had drafted a proposal allowing free navigation through its southern corridor while requiring vessels using the northern route through Iranian waters to obtain prior approval. Iran and Oman agreed to continue talks at both technical and political levels. A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Iran, the US, Qatar, and Pakistan had agreed to negotiate, though it was unclear whether those efforts had succeeded before the new round of strikes began.

Araghchi, before the latest American strikes, had accused the US of violating the interim deal by ending waivers that had allowed Iran to sell crude oil on the open market in dollars. Washington had revoked those waivers in response to Iranian attacks on shipping. The Iranian diplomat posted on social media that there could only be mutual compliance—a signal that Iran saw the US as the aggressor in this latest escalation. Senior American officials, speaking anonymously, suggested the attacks were being driven by a rogue faction of Iranian hardliners intent on sabotaging the ceasefire. Iran's government insisted its leadership remained unified under the new supreme leader.

Meanwhile, a separate threat had surfaced. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed that Israeli intelligence had recently warned American officials of a specific plot to assassinate President Trump. Trump himself downplayed the threat in a phone interview, saying Israel had come up with nothing and that he had long been on Iran's kill list. But he also posted on social media that a thousand missiles were locked and loaded, aimed at Iran, with thousands more ready to follow should the Iranian government act on its threats. He did not mention that any retaliation would have to be ordered by Vice President JD Vance, who would become commander-in-chief if Trump were killed. The threat, real or rhetorical, added another layer of danger to an already volatile situation.