This screenshot, taken on July 15, 2026, from a video broadcast on July 14, 2026 by Sepah News — the website of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — shows the alleged launch of a drone from an undisclosed location towards U.S. targets in Bahrain and Kuwait. (Photo: SEPAHNEWS.COM/AFP)
The U.S. said it had begun a new wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran threatened to shut off more regional energy exports.
The strikes mark the latest escalation of attacks and counterattacks launched by the two sides as they vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the war. "At 6 a.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command forces began launching a wave of strikes against Iran," the U.S. military said.
"The strikes are designed to further degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."
The U.S. statement gave no further details and there were no immediate reports of attacks in Iranian media.
Late on Tuesday the U.S. military said it had hit dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas in strikes lasting seven hours.
In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday it had struck U.S. military targets in the region, including in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.
It also threatened on Wednesday to shut off more regional energy exports, saying the U.S. "must brace for the closure of all other export corridors that benefit the U.S. and its allies."
The U.S. has said Iran had attacked seven commercial ships over the last week, leading to nearly a dozen crew members being killed, missing, or injured.
The war, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggered Iranian attacks on Gulf states that host U.S. bases and caused major disruption to global energy supplies, raising fears of a surge in inflation. Oil prices extended gains by about 1% on Wednesday, after settling on Tuesday on a new one-month high.
An interim cease-fire deal in the war signed last month was meant to lead to further negotiations and a permanent truce, but a return to talks has faltered.
