American warplanes struck approximately 140 Iranian military targets overnight Sunday into Monday as Tehran declared the strategic Strait of Hormuz closed and launched retaliatory attacks against five Gulf Arab states—while conspicuously sparing Saudi Arabia.

Three Waves of Strikes

The latest American strikes mark the third wave of attacks since Iran began targeting commercial shipping in the vital waterway last week. The Pentagon confirmed hits on Iranian air defenses, command-and-control networks, coastal radar installations, missile and drone equipment, and small boats across the provinces of Hormozgan, Bushehr, Khuzestan, and Sistan and Baluchestan.

"Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement.

The escalation began July 6-7 when Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked at least three commercial vessels in the strait, including an LNG tanker that risked catastrophic explosion. On July 11, the IRGC struck the Cyprus-flagged container ship M/V GFS Galaxy, a UAE-owned vessel, leaving it ablaze and one Indian crew member missing.

Hormuz Closed—or Is It?

Following the American retaliation, Iran's IRGC Navy declared the Strait of Hormuz closed "until further notice" and "until the United States ends its intervention in the region." Roughly 20% of the world's daily oil supply transits the narrow passage between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.

U.S. Central Command immediately disputed the claim, stating that vessels continue to transit and American forces are positioned to ensure freedom of navigation. President Trump was characteristically blunt when asked about Iran's declaration. "Yeah, it's open," he told reporters.

Iran Hits Five Nations—But Not Riyadh

In its most expansive regional retaliation of the conflict, Iran launched missiles and drones against American military facilities across the Gulf. Targets included:

Bahrain: The U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters and an Army fuel depot

Kuwait: U.S. Patriot missile defense systems

Qatar: Al Udeid Air Base and early-warning radar sites; three people were injured by falling shrapnel

Oman: The Port of Duqm, a critical U.S. naval logistics and refueling hub

Jordan: Prince Hassan Air Base and the Azraq military complex

Explosions were also reported in Dubai and Abu Dhabi—the first Iranian strikes on UAE soil in more than two months.

Notably absent from the target list: Saudi Arabia. Despite Riyadh hosting American forces and sharing Iran's hostility toward Israel, Tehran has reportedly been engaged in backchannel discussions with the Kingdom about a nonaggression pact. Iranian officials have told Saudi counterparts to ensure their territory is not used for strikes against Iran.

The Gulf Responds

The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned what it called Iran's "repeated heinous" attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait. The UAE issued its most comprehensive multi-country condemnation since the war's escalation, extending solidarity to all five targeted nations. Saudi Arabia also condemned the attacks—despite being spared from them.

Fighting Continues

As of early Monday, fighting showed no signs of abating. The IRGC said its retaliation is "ongoing," while CENTCOM confirmed a new wave of American strikes beginning at 9:00 PM GMT Sunday, continuing into Monday morning.

The cycle of attack and counterattack has raised fears of a full-scale war that could engulf the entire Persian Gulf region. With the Strait of Hormuz's status in dispute and American forces now engaged across multiple countries, the conflict Trump inherited has become the most significant military confrontation since the 2003 Iraq invasion.