Iran responded to a fresh wave of strikes from U.S. forces over the weekend by launching an attack on American military bases in several Gulf states, deepening a standoff over the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
The latest exchange casts further doubt over the future of the interim peace agreement signed last month, a deal that had sought to pave the way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war after 60 days of negotiations.
Iran’s strikes targeted U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman and Qatar, according to the country’s state media outlets, describing them as retaliatory measures to renewed U.S. bombings.
Sirens sounded for the third time in Bahrain on Monday, Reuters reported, citing the country’s interior ministry. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and radar systems in Oman as part of its latest retaliatory attacks.
U.S. Central Command said Sunday that American forces had successfully hit dozens of targets at multiple locations to degrade Tehran’s ability to continue attacking vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz.
American forces struck Iranian military air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities and small boats using U.S. fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack aerial drones and one-way attack sea drones for the first time, Centcom said in a post on X.
The U.S. and Iran also issued conflicting accounts over whether the Strait of Hormuz remains open to shipping.
This frame grab taken from AFPTV video footage on July 12, 2026 shows cargo ships anchoring near the Strait of Hormuz off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates at Khor Fakkan.
– | Afp | Getty Images
Located in the gulf between Oman and Iran, the Strait of Hormuz is recognized as one of the world’s most critical energy choke points. The narrow waterway typically handles around 20% of the world’s oil traffic.
Oil prices jumped on Monday morning as the latest cycle of attacks and counterattacks renewed fears of further disruption to flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
International benchmark Brent crude futures with September delivery advanced 2.8% to trade at $78.14 per barrel, paring gains from earlier in the session. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures with August delivery, meanwhile, gained 2.5% to $73.24.
“The era of one-sided deals is OVER. We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking,” Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Sunday in a social media post.
Ghalibaf’s comments were posted alongside an image of Article 5 of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, which relates to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said the U.S. and Iran had agreed to continue peace talks, but said the ceasefire established in last month’s peace deal had been scrapped.
Iran accuses U.S. of exerting pressure on Oman
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday condemned U.S. attacks over the last 24 hours, saying the bombings represent a “serious threat to international peace and security,” and have “rendered futile all efforts of the past few months to reduce tension and establish peace in the West Asian region.”
Iran also accused the U.S. of exerting “overt and covert pressure” on Oman, thereby preventing a result from recent talks in Muscat for both countries to establish arrangements for managing the Strait of Hormuz and traffic routes.
A White House spokesperson was not immediately available to comment when contacted by CNBC on Monday morning.
Situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, opposite Iran across the strait, Oman has been in joint talks with Iran on a new maritime security order, amid reports that the two countries could push to establish transit fees.
Analysts have told CNBC that Oman’s ability to impose service fees sits within tight legal limits, given that the strait is governed by the principle of transit passage, which does not allow states to charge vessels for passing through. Service fees, however, may be one way to circumvent this.
— CNBC’s Emma Graham contributed to this report.
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