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Iran live updates: US conducts new strikes on Iranian targets, officials say

The U.S. strikes came after a cargo ship was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.

Last Updated: July 12, 2026, 3:37 PM EDT

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations last month aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.

The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange relatively limited strikes despite the signing of the memorandum and amid the continuation of peace talks.

1 hour and 49 minutes ago

'Catastrophic consequences': UN secretary-general warns against Iran war escalation

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he's “deeply concerned" by the increasing attacks in Iran and warned of "catastrophic consequences" globally should parties return to "full-scale hostilities."

"I am deeply concerned by the serious escalation & renewed military confrontations in the Gulf, including the Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the attacks by the US on Iran, and the attacks by Iran on targets in the neighboring countries," Guterres wrote in a post on X Sunday. "These attacks must all stop."

A projectile is fired during what the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said was a third round of strikes this week against Iran, in this screen grab taken from a handout video released on July 11, 2026.
A projectile is fired during what the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said was a third round of strikes this week against Iran, in this screen grab taken from a handout video released on July 11, 2026. U.S. Central Command/Handout via Reuters.
U.S. Central Command/via Reuters

"A return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences – for the peoples of the region, for international peace & security & for the global economy. I urge Iran & the US to urgently resume negotiations & to address outstanding issues through diplomacy," Guterres further wrote.

-ABC News Claire Bower

2 hours and 37 minutes ago

Gulf states, Pakistan condemn latest round of Iranian strikes

Several Gulf states and Pakistan responded to Iranian strikes on Saturday night and Sunday with strongly worded statements.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry called the attacks “a blatant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the targeted countries, and a flagrant breach of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and the principles of good neighborliness.”

In a statement posted on X, the ministry said it is holding Iran legally responsible for the strikes and their fallout.

Oman’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X that it summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest the strikes, expressing “dismay at these irresponsible acts.”

Pakistan's foreign ministry also voiced “deep concern” over the escalation in regional tensions and urged “all sides to exercise restraint, take immediate steps towards de-escalation and uphold respective commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).”

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what it called Iran’s “continued destabilizing behavior that undermines the security and stability of the region, and its violation of the principles of international law.”

-ABC News' Claire Bower

8:48 AM EDT

'Traffic is flowing' in the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM says

Despite IRGC claims to the contrary, the “Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit the international waterway,” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X Sunday morning.

"U.S. forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations. Iran does not control the strait,” the post reads. "Traffic is flowing.”

A ship sails off the coast of Ajman, U.A.E., on July 10, 2026.
AFP via Getty Images

The Joint Maritime Information Center also says the Strait of Hormuz is open but maintains the regional threat level as “severe” as traffic has continued to flow at a trickle in recent days.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' navy announced Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice and claimed a commercial vessel transiting the waterway was hit and "halted" by a "warning shot" it fired, according to Iranian media.

The statement also said that any U.S. or allied response would be met by "severe" retaliation.

-ABC News' Shannon Kingston

5:02 AM EDT

5 Middle East, Gulf nations report fresh attacks

At least five Middle Eastern states reported fresh attacks on Saturday night and Sunday morning as fighting again escalated between the U.S. and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates both reported that their defensive systems intercepted missile attacks. At least three people were injured by falling debris in Qatar, the country's Interior Ministry said in a statement shared on social media.

In Jordan, a government statement said that three missiles "originating from Iranian territory fell early Sunday morning across several locations inside the kingdom. No casualties were reported, and the impact resulted only in minor material damage."

Kuwait's army said its forces intercepted an unspecified aerial threat in the Gulf nation's airspace. In Oman, state media said that sites in the Musandam Governorate were targeted by drones.

In Bahrain, meanwhile, air raid sirens were sounding on Sunday morning but there was no official confirmation of new attacks.

Air defense interceptions are seen in the sky above Doha, Qatar, on July 12, 2026.
-/AFP via Getty Images

-ABC News' Rashid Haddou

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