Iran Strikes Five Gulf States After US Bombs Southern Iran

Iran launched missile and drone attacks against five Gulf states early Sunday, hours after US forces struck southern Iran for a third time and Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to shipping.

Escalation Over the Strait of Hormuz

US Central Command conducted a third round of strikes on southern Iran early Sunday, July 12, in response to an Iranian strike that set the Cyprus-flagged container ship GFS Galaxy ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the strait — a critical oil and gas transit route between Iran and Oman — closed and launched retaliatory attacks across the region.

Missiles and Drones Across the Gulf

Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones at five Gulf states: Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. Multiple loud explosions were reported over Doha as Qatari air defenses intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles. Three people, including a child, were wounded by falling shrapnel, according to Qatar's Interior Ministry.

"Qatar's Armed Forces continue intercepting a number of ballistic missile attacks targeting the State of Qatar," the Qatar Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

Missile alerts sounded for a third time in Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet. Iran used explosive drones to target a Patriot air-defense battery, an ammunition depot and a radar site in Kuwait, along with a US communications and radar site in Bahrain.

A Widening War

The current phase of the war traces back to Feb. 28, 2026. The Strait of Hormuz has become the central sticking point in efforts to reach a lasting ceasefire, with the waterway carrying a large share of the world's seaborne oil and gas. Azerbaijan, which shares a border with Iran, is among the countries closely tracking the risk of the conflict spilling into the South Caucasus.