Iran Declares Strait of Hormuz Shut as US Strikes Continue; UAE and Qatar Hit in Widening Gulf Escalation

On Sunday, a container ship called the GFS Galaxy was attacked off the coast of Oman. Oman said 23 crew members were rescued, and India said one of its nationals was missing. By the end of the day, Iran had declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again, and the US military had launched a fresh round of strikes on Iranian targets.

Iran's account is that it fired a warning shot that struck a vessel travelling on what it called an "unauthorised route." It warned that any retaliation would bring a "severe response," and later said it had disabled a second vessel. The Revolutionary Guards said the strait would stay shut until "the end of US interference in this region." Iran has not claimed responsibility for earlier attacks on ships.

The US Central Command disputed the claim of closure. It said commercial vessels were still moving through the waterway, which carried one-fifth of the world's oil and LNG shipments before the war. "Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing," it said, adding that US forces were positioned to protect freedom of navigation despite what it called Iranian aggression, harassment, threats and arbitrary declarations.

Earlier in the day, Centcom said US forces had hit 140 Iranian military targets on Saturday, and more than 300 across three nights of strikes this week. It said the aim was to degrade Iran's ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels. Iranian state media reported explosions in several port cities and said an Iranian army officer had been killed in what it called "US-Israeli" attacks.

Iran's response reached across the Gulf. The Revolutionary Guards said they had destroyed a command-and-control centre and drone hangars in Jordan, targeted a US radar site in Kuwait, attacked US aircraft carrier support and refuelling platforms in Oman, and destroyed a jet maintenance centre and command facility in Qatar. Bahrain said it intercepted several Iranian aerial attacks. The UAE said it detected missile threats outside its borders. Jordan reported missile strikes, and Oman reported drone attacks, summoning Iran's ambassador to protest strikes in two regions. The US embassy in Oman told its nationals in Duqm and Musandam to shelter in place. Qatar advised all vessels, including leisure boats, fishing boats and jet skis, to suspend activity.

The reach of the attacks is what set this round apart. The UAE had not been targeted since early May, and Qatar had not come under attack since April. Qatar is a mediator in the ceasefire talks and has said it would not act as one while under attack. It reported that three people, including a child, were hurt by falling shrapnel, and said Iran was "fully legally responsible."

The escalation followed talks in Oman on Saturday between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart, Badr Albusaidi. Iran said they were meant to coordinate arrangements in the strait and would continue with a Qatari presence. Araghchi also spoke by phone with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who urged de-escalation and restraint. On Friday, Araghchi had written on X that "there can only be mutual compliance." On Tuesday, the US had revoked the licence authorising sales of Iranian crude after Qatari and Saudi commercial tankers came under fire.

The tone from Tehran hardened. Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, posted on X that "the era of one-sided deals is OVER," and told Washington to "keep your word or pay the price." A day earlier, a written statement from the new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, pledged to avenge his father and predecessor, who was killed in the war's first attacks.

The violence puts further doubt on the interim agreement signed June 18, which aimed to reopen the strait and end the war after 60 more days of negotiation. President Donald Trump has said this past week that he considers the ceasefire over, though he has left room for more talks. The war began February 28 with US and Israeli strikes, and Iran's effective blockade of the strait has pushed up energy prices and global inflation. Gasoline prices are a sensitive issue for Trump ahead of November's congressional elections, which adds pressure on whatever diplomacy comes next.