US attacks Iran after Hormuz ship strike, Gulf states face new alerts

Dubai,UPDATED: Jul 12, 2026 08:38 IST

The United States attacked Iran early on Sunday after Tehran struck a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, setting off a new round of crossfire in the Persian Gulf. Iran then apparently responded with strikes targeting Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as missile and drone alerts sounded across the region.

The latest exchange came after US President Donald Trump suggested that an interim deal and ceasefire in the Iran war was "over". US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote online: "Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay."

The United Arab Emirates warned people on Sunday of an incoming missile and drone attack, while explosions were heard in nearby Qatar. A missile alert was sounded in Qatar shortly after the blasts. Missile alerts were also sounded in Bahrain, the island kingdom in the Persian Gulf that is home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet.

It was not immediately clear which locations were under attack in the UAE, which had not so far been targeted in the latest round of attacks by Iran.

In the attack in the Strait of Hormuz, a Cyprus-flagged container ship was hit by Iran and suffered "significant engineroom damage", according to US Central Command. It said a civilian crew member was missing.

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said multiple vessels had "disregarded our warnings and instructions to correct their course and proceed along the approved route". It said one of them "was struck by a warning shot and brought to a stop".

Iran also said the strait would remain closed "until further notice" and that it would consider targeting "additional enemy bases in the region" if it faced more attacks. The developments marked a sharp escalation, with attacks at sea followed by missile and drone alerts across Gulf states.

With PTI Inputs

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