Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz After US Strikes Kill 17 and Damage Ship

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy closed the Strait of Hormuz to all traffic except the northern Iranian route on July 12. The closure followed a warning shot fired at the Cyprus-flagged container ship M/V GFS Galaxy after the vessel used an unauthorized route through the strait. The M/V GFS Galaxy sustained significant engine-room damage and an onboard fire.

One civilian crew member is missing, and the crew abandoned the vessel into a lifeboat nine nautical miles east of Oman, according to U.S. Central Command. U.S. Central Command forces began a third round of strikes against Iran at 7:15 p.m.

ET on July 12. The command said its forces struck approximately 140 Iranian military targets on July 11, including missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks, and coastal surveillance locations. Iran stated the strait will remain closed until the end of U.S.

Interference in the region. Iran launched missile and drone attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Qatar’s military intercepted incoming fire, injuring three people including one child from falling debris.

Kuwait’s armed forces intercepted hostile aerial targets in its airspace, and the United Arab Emirates warned the public of an incoming attack. Iranian officials stated that 17 people were killed and 115 injured in the previous round of U.S. strikes.

Iranian local media reported explosions heard on Qeshm Island on July 12. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Arqchi stated the U.S. revocation of the Iranian crude-oil sales licence and further military strikes violated the 14-point memorandum of understanding.

Iranian and Omani representatives met in Muscat on July 11 to discuss the strait. President Trump stated that the Strait of Hormuz is open.