The United States and Iran traded a fresh wave of strikes over the weekend, with Washington and Tehran issuing directly conflicting declarations over whether the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical oil shipping corridors, remains open to commercial traffic.

The U.S. struck Iran for the third time in a week, prompting retaliatory attacks on at least five Arab nations after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the strait on July 11, setting it ablaze and leaving 23 crew members affected. In response, U.S. Central Command launched a significant missile assault on Iranian military targets overnight into Sunday, saying it had struck approximately 140 sites, targeting "missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks, and coastal surveillance locations." According to Iranian state media, the strikes also hit Qeshm, an island near the strait, though officials said they targeted only military installations and caused no casualties.

Iran responded early Sunday with drone and missile attacks on American allies across the region, including Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. So far, only minor damage has been reported and no casualties confirmed from those retaliatory strikes.

Following the exchange, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority, an entity Tehran established during the war with the U.S., declared the waterway closed. "Passage through the Strait of Hormuz is currently not possible," the authority said on X, blaming "recent illegal movements of the United States military forces." The authority added that "as soon as stability and calm are........

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