US and Iran strike on July 14-15, stressing ceasefire

The United States and Iran engaged in a major new round of reciprocal military strikes on July 14 and 15, 2026, severely straining a ceasefire and escalating fears over the security of global energy supplies. The U.S. military launched extensive air and naval strikes against Iranian coastal targets, while Iran claimed retaliatory missile and drone attacks on U.S. facilities in multiple Gulf states.

U.S. Central Command stated that a seven-hour operation concluding at 10 p.m. EDT on July 14 targeted dozens of military sites along Iran's southern coast and near the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes, employing fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels, aimed at coastal defense systems, missile infrastructure, drone positions, and naval capabilities. Iranian media reported explosions in cities and on islands including Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, and Bushehr.

Concurrently, the United States reinstated a naval blockade on Iranian ports, effective the evening of July 14. A U.S. official said the measure was intended to reduce Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping. The U.S. Treasury Department also announced sanctions on cryptocurrency wallets linked to Iran's central bank, freezing...