US forces struck Iran again, targeting military capabilities near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran retaliated, hitting Bahrain and Kuwait. US disabled a tanker violating a blockade.
CENTCOM separately confirmed it had disabled the Curaçao-flagged tanker M/T Belma on July 15 while enforcing naval blockade measures in the Arabian Gulf. The unladen vessel was observed heading towards Kharg Island in violation of the blockade and ignored multiple warnings before a US aircraft fired Hellfire missiles into its smokestack, disabling it. CENTCOM said the ship was no longer transiting to Iran. The blockade against vessels moving to or from Iranian ports resumed at 4pm ET on July 14, and CENTCOM said that in its first 24 hours, forces had redirected two compliant commercial vessels alongside the one disabled tanker.
Iran launched retaliatory strikes across the wider Gulf region in response. Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, while Kuwait said its air defences had intercepted incoming missiles and drones, drawing neighbouring Gulf states further into the confrontation.
US President Donald Trump said Iran would be “soon defeated” and sought to play down the conflict’s effect on global energy prices, despite the fighting centring on one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes.
Iran’s foreign ministry said Tehran remained willing to honour the Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 16, provided Washington also upheld its side of the agreement. Separately, the US said Lebanon and Israel had agreed on the structure and guidelines for a limited Israeli troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon, following talks held in Rome.
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