US Shoots Down 2 Iranian Threats in Hormuz as IRGC Fires at Commercial Ships
Updated
Updated · Hindustan Times · Jul 13
US Shoots Down 2 Iranian Threats in Hormuz as IRGC Fires at Commercial Ships
3 articles · Updated · Hindustan Times · Jul 13
Summary
A US cruise missile intercept and drone shootdown came after the IRGC fired at commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins.
Fresh US strikes began about two hours earlier, targeting Iranian military assets Washington says are used to threaten civilian mariners and commercial shipping in the waterway.
Shipping through Hormuz has already fallen sharply—Kpler counted 22 ships on Thursday versus more than 130 a day before the war—while Brent crude climbed to about $79 a barrel.
The widening exchange has spread beyond the strait, with explosions reported in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, Jask and Sirik, and the UN chief urging Washington and Tehran to halt fighting and resume talks.
With diplomacy failing and the conflict spreading, is a full-scale regional war now unavoidable?
With cheap drones challenging military superpowers, how will the future of modern warfare be redefined?
As global supply chains fracture, is the world entering a new era of permanent inflation and economic nationalism?
The 2026 Strait of Hormuz Escalation: US-Iran Confrontation and Its Global Energy Impact
Overview
In early July 2026, the Strait of Hormuz saw its most serious crisis in decades as Iran announced a complete closure of the vital waterway, immediately disrupting global oil markets. This move, driven by security concerns, targeted a key chokepoint for international energy shipments. The situation escalated when an oil tanker, the M/V GFS Galaxy, was disabled near Iran, with one crew member presumed captured by Iranian forces. These actions triggered direct military responses from the United States, marking a dangerous new phase in US-Iran tensions and raising fears of wider conflict and economic fallout.