U.S. Strikes Hit Iranian Coastal Defenses and Missile Sites

The United States launched strikes on Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities on or before July 14, 2026. U.S. Central Command said the strikes targeted air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, and anti-ship missile capabilities.

Explosions were reported in the Iranian cities of Bushehr and Bandar Abbas. Iran retaliated with attacks on sites in Bahrain and Jordan and struck three tankers that had passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted weapons depots, a satellite communications center, a building housing U.S.

Forces, and a U.S. Navy air traffic control radar in Bahrain. Jordan intercepted four missiles launched from Iran. Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior issued three alerts directing residents to seek shelter.

Two of the tankers, the Mombasa and the Al Bahiyah, were linked to the United Arab Emirates. The vessels were set ablaze, killing one mariner and wounding eight others, according to the UAE defense ministry. The Strait of Hormuz carries one fifth of the world’s oil and gas.

The recent actions ended a June 17 memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington that had aimed to reopen the strait. President Donald Trump vowed to reinstate a blockade of Iranian ports and said the United States would charge ships for safe passage through the waterway.

At the NATO summit in Ankara last week, President Trump reiterated earlier threats to target Iranian desalination plants and said the United States could capture Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export site.

“The electric plants where they make their electricity — we will, if we have to, take them out,” he said. Saudi Arabia reported that Houthi forces fired ballistic missiles and drones at a civilian airport in Abha. The strikes marked the first major fighting since a 2022 truce ended a seven-year conflict in Yemen.