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Iran strikes Gulf bases and declares Hormuz closed
Al Jazeera··12 Jul
Iran launched missile and drone attacks on US facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar and Oman on Sunday after American forces carried out a third round of strikes on southern Iran. Tehran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice. CENTCOM said about 140 Iranian military targets were hit. Qatar reported three wounded from intercept shrapnel.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you import fuel or goods through Gulf shipping lanes, Hormuz closures can delay cargoes and raise transport costs even when prices have fallen from wartime peaks.
- Indian crew were aboard the struck container ship M/V GFS Galaxy. India's external affairs ministry said eleven nationals were on a vessel hit east of Oman.
- Residents in Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain faced sirens and shelter advisories as intercept systems engaged incoming missiles over civilian areas on Sunday.
What's Happening
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard struck the GFS Galaxy on Saturday, citing use of an unauthorised route, then announced the strait closed until US interference ends.
- CENTCOM began retaliatory strikes about an hour later, targeting radar, missile, drone and naval sites across southern Iran in its third weekly round.
- Iran claimed attacks on Al Udeid airbase in Qatar, Duqm port logistics in Oman, Patriot sites in Kuwait and facilities in Bahrain and Jordan.
How We Got Here
- The US-Iran war began on February 28 after strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose burial drew large crowds in Mashhad on July 9.
- A preliminary memorandum of understanding last month left Hormuz management disputed, with Iran seeking control alongside Oman and Washington rejecting tolls.
- Traffic through Hormuz fell sharply after July 8 as vessels avoided the UN-backed Omani route following earlier attacks on commercial ships.
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