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Tanker set ablaze after being struck by projectile in the Strait of Hormuz
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The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they will not agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait.
A truck carrying the coffins of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family makes its way through mourners during the funeral procession in Qom, the heart of religious studies in Iran, Tuesday.
He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father.
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− Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics 2 ships hit in Strait of Hormuz Iran, which has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the Strait of Hormuz is safe, said one of the vessels came under attack after ignoring warnings.
+ Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics U.S.
+ launches strikes on Iran after ships hit in Strait of Hormuz The U.S. military has launched new strikes against Iran. The strikes began early Wednesday, hours after three merchant ships were struck in the Strait of Hormuz.
− By
The Associated Press
A container ship and a cargo vessel are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, on June 17.
+ By
The Associated Press
Commercial vessels are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
− Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP hide caption
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Two ships were struck by projectiles Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz, the British military said, in the latest attacks targeting vessels moving through the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.
+ Amirhosein Khorgooi/AP Photo hide caption
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military launched new strikes against Iran early Wednesday, hours after three merchant ships were struck in the Strait of Hormuz, in the latest exchange of fire to threaten the interim deal to end the fighting between the two countries.
− Middle East conflict Huge crowds of mourners join a funeral procession for Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei One of the ships was a tanker traveling off the coast of Oman that caught fire, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center.
+ Middle East conflict Huge crowds of mourners join a funeral procession for Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei The strikes came during the dayslong funeral for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the war.
− Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.
+ They also were sure to add to the difficulty of negotiations aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back Tehran's disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war launched Feb. 28.
− The second ship was believed to have sustained structural damage, but no one was injured, the maritime agency said.
− Tehran, which has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe, is suspected of attacking other ships that have used another route close to the Omani shore.
+ In a statement posted to social media, U.S. Central Command said American forces launched the strikes "to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway."
One U.S. official said the military was targeting air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, ground-to-air missiles and launch sites for anti-ship cruise missiles and drones. Iranian port facilities are also being targeted, the official said.
− Middle East conflict Trump says the U.S.
+ A second U.S.
− and Iran will meet in Qatar after weekend attacks The U.S.
+ official said the strikes would likely last for hours.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing military operation.
Iranian state media reported the sound of explosions in Qeshm and Bandar Abbas.
− is eager to press ahead with negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back Tehran's disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war launched Feb.
+ Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said in a post on X that the attacks by the U.S.
− 28.
+ violated the interim agreement.
A similar spate of Iranian attacks on shipping and U.S.
− Previous attacks in the strait have sparked retaliatory strikes by the U.S.
+ retaliation occurred late last month, while the new strikes also were notable for happening while President Donald Trump was in Turkey for a summit of the NATO military alliance.
Hours after the three tankers were struck by projectiles, the United States revoked a license that authorizing the sale of Iranian oil as part of the interim deal to end the fighting between the U.S.
− Iran then attacked Gulf Arab states.
+ and Iran.
− In peacetime, a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the channel.
+ Middle East conflict Trump says the U.S. and Iran will meet in Qatar after weekend attacks The new assaults in the fuel-shipping waterway were the most in a single day since late April, according to the U.N. International Maritime Organization. The attacks threatened to choke off the flow of traffic in the strait just as countries hoped to restore normal shipping practices and ease the global economic strain of the war.
− Meanwhile, talks between Iran and the U.S.
+ A U.S.
− appeared to be on hold until after the burial of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the war.
+ official said the license was revoked because Iran's actions in the strait were unacceptable and needed to be met with consequences.
− Mourners at his funeral have called for the death of U.S.
+ The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to share insight into the reasoning behind the move.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned that U.S.
− President Donald Trump.
+ move, saying in a statement that it violates the interim deal and that "the U.S. government bears responsibility for the consequences of this breach of commitment."
Mourners attend the funeral procession of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Monday. Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption
One tanker was traveling off the coast of Oman when it was hit and caught fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.
− Mourners attend the funeral procession of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, Monday.
+ The other two ships sustained some damage, but no one was injured, and both continued on their way, the U.K.
− Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption
Authorities flew Khamenei's body to the Shiite seminary city of Qom, where mourners honored him Tuesday.
+ maritime agency said.
− The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the tanker was hit near Limah, Oman, in the strait.
+ Tehran, which has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe, is suspected of attacking other ships that have used a route close to the Omani shore.
Location details provided by the U.K.
− The UKMTO said the projectile hit the port side of the vessel as it tried to travel south out of the strait toward the Gulf of Oman.
+ agency showed that all three attacks occurred off the coast of Oman or the neighboring United Arab Emirates, making it likely that the ships were using the route near Oman.
− The agency said there were no environmental effects from the strike and that authorities were investigating.
+ In peacetime, a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the channel.
− Iranian state TV, quoting anonymous sources, implied that Tehran carried out the assault on a tanker it said was carrying natural gas from Qatar.
+ The license issued by the U.S.
− However, there was no official claim from the Islamic Republic for the attack.
+ authorized the production, delivery and sale of Iranian oil through Aug. 21. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said at the time that lengthy talks with senior Iranian officials in Switzerland created a "good foundation for a successful final deal" to end the war.
− Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said targeting the Qatari tanker, Al Rekayyat, in the strait was an "unacceptable attack" on international navigation and global energy security.
+ U.S.
− He called it a "serious and explicit violation" of international law.
+ sanctions on the purchase of Iranian oil had been in place since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. After the U.S. and Israel launched the war, and after the closure of the strait, the U.S. had authorized the temporary sale of Iranian oil at least twice as an incentive toward a deal.
− In a post on X, he said Qatar holds Iran "fully legally responsible" for the attack.
+ Meanwhile, talks between Iran and the U.S. appeared to be on hold until after the burial of Khamenei.
− Iran's joint military command warned last Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the strait must use its approved routes.
+ Qatar calls attack a violation of international law
One tanker was carrying liquid natural gas south through the strait near Limah, Oman, when a projectile hit the left-side engine room and sparked a fire, the U.K.
− It also said that interference by U.S.
+ Maritime Trade Operations center said.
Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat was targeted in an "unacceptable attack" on international navigation and global energy security.
In a post on X, he said Qatar holds Iran "fully legally responsible."
Later Tuesday, the U.K.
− forces in the strait "will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction."
But the Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational body overseen by the U.S.
+ maritime agency reported that an oil tanker was hit on its left side as it exited the strait near the Omani-Emirati border.
− Navy, told shippers Monday that the route around Oman "has been expanded and remains available for all traffic."
Speaking Monday at the White House, Trump warned Iran that it would need to "make a deal, or we're going to finish the job."
"I'd rather make a deal, because I don't want to affect 91 million people," Trump said.
+ A third tanker was struck by a drone off Oman, the agency said.
The Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational body overseen by the U.S.
− "We can knock down their bridges in one hour.
+ Navy, told shippers Monday that the route around Oman "has been expanded and remains available for all traffic."
Ships going to the north on the Iranian route must register with Tehran.
− We can knock out their energy supply."
Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days.
+ Those going south work with Oman and the U.S.
Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days.
− But Tehran insisted it must control the routes of the vessels and later charge fees for passage, which would upend decades of practice in the waterway.
+ But Tehran insisted it must control the vessels' routes and later charge fees for passage, which would upend decades of practice in the waterway.
− An effort by Oman and a United Nations agency to launch a new route near Oman's shore earlier sparked attacks across the Mideast.
− The data firm Kpler reported that over last weekend at least 108 ships crossed through the strait using various routes.
+ The data firm Kpler reported that at least 108 ships crossed through the strait last weekend using various routes.
− Mehdi Khezrian/ISNA via AP hide caption
Iranian state television early Tuesday aired live images from a helicopter of hundreds of thousands of people walking toward Jamkaran Mosque, just south of Qom, for a funeral service for Khamenei.
+ Mehdi Khezrian/ISNA via AP hide caption
Authorities flew Khamenei's body to the Shiite seminary city of Qom, where mourners honored him Tuesday.
Iranian state television aired live images of hundreds of thousands of people walking toward Jamkaran Mosque, just south of Qom, for the funeral service.
− Shiites believe the mosque once hosted the Muhammad al-Mahdi, the 12th and last Shiite imam, who disappeared in the 9th century and will one day reappear to bring justice to the world.
+ Shiites believe the mosque once hosted Muhammad al-Mahdi, the 12th and last Shiite imam, who disappeared in the 9th century and is supposed to one day reappear to bring justice to the world.
− Images of Khamenei and his son, Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, were displayed on banners and posters held by mourners.
+ Khamenei's son, Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to make an appearance at the ceremonies, which began Saturday in Tehran.
− Mojtaba Khamenei has yet to make an appearance in the funeral ceremonies, which are unfolding over several days.
− At the height of the war, before an April ceasefire, Israel targeted top Iranian leaders, in at least one case likely using their public appearances to fix their position.
+ Khamenei's body arrived late Tuesday in Najaf, Iraq, where it was received by senior officials from both countries.
− It has also threatened to kill the younger Khamenei.
Authorities have shut down streets, airspace and daily life for the mourning, which began Saturday and will end Thursday as Khamenei is buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.
+ Processions are planned for Wednesday in Najaf and Karbala, the two holy cities of Iraqi Shiism.
− Khamenei was 86.
+ Iraq has a sizable Shiite population and is home to major Shiite religious sites and centers of learning.
+ Khamenei, who was 86, will then be returned to Iran to be buried Thursday at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.