Trump says US hit Iran 'very hard' in latest attacks

 WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump says the United States hit Iran hard in response to its latest attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.

“We hit them very hard last night,” Trump has told CNN by telephone in an interview centering mainly on the death of Senator Lindsey Graham.

Trump has said the United States and Iran had been close to “a deal” on Saturday.

“They were giving up everything, and then all of a sudden two hours after that they hit a ship with a drone. These people, there is something wrong with them,” he has said.

Trump says Strait of Hormuz open to commercial traffic

US President Donald Trump has said that the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial traffic, though the US and Iran continue to trade attacks that have raised concerns over safety on one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes, Reuters reports.

Trump’s comments were made during an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press.

US military says 'traffic is flowing' in Strait of Hormuz

The US military insists that ships are moving through the Strait of Hormuz despite Iran’s claim to have closed it.

🚫 CLAIM: The Iranian commander for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Navy recently said on state-owned media that no foreign vessels may pass through the Strait of Hormuz without being identified, tracked, and monitored by Iranian forces.

✅ FACT: Iran does not control the… pic.twitter.com/8lRDNiOpXQ

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 12, 2026

“Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing,” Centcom, which oversees US forces in the Middle East, says on X.

US forces ready to ensure navigation in Strait of Hormuz, Central Command says

The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels and US military forces are “positioned and prepared” to ensure freedom of navigation, US Central Command has said, Reuters reports.

Iran 'should expect' US to respond to attacks: US ambassador to Nato

The MoU with Iran “was always performance-based and one of the conditions was that Iran cannot terrorise commercial vessels transiting the Strait”, US ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation says.

In an interview with CNN, Matthew Whitaker has said that Iran “should expect” US response to its attacks.

He adds, “President Trump is a peacemaker and he wants a deal with Iran.”

The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit the international waterway. U.S. forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary… pic.twitter.com/FS3TUBOZEj

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 12, 2026

Reiterating Trump’s words, Whitaker has said that Iran is “controlled by a bunch of crazy people”.

Oman says 23 rescued, one missing after vessel attacked off coast

Oman says it has rescued 23 crew members from a commercial ship while one remains missing after the vessel was struck off the Gulf sultanate’s eastern coast, AFP reports.

“Twenty-three crew members were rescued and provided with necessary medical care. Search operations are continuing for one crew member who remains missing,” Oman’s Maritime Security Centre has said in a statement.

The agency says it received a distress call from the Cypriot-flagged GFS Galaxy 4.4 nautical miles off the coast of Musandam Governorate.

US Central Command has said the ship had been disabled by fire and damage to its engine room, accusing Tehran of attacking it.

 Oman summons Iranian ambassador to protest Tehran's drone strikes

Oman has summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest Iran’s drone strikes in Musandam and Al Batinah, the foreign ministry of Oman has said in a post on X.

Oman’s Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs, Sheikh Khalid bin Hashel Al Muslahi, has expressed “Oman’s dismay at these irresponsible acts, calling for the necessity of adhering to the provisions of state sovereignty, good neighbourliness, non-interference in internal affairs, and respect for the customs and ethical values that bind the two neighbouring countries and peoples”.

قام سعادة الشيخ خالد بن هاشل المصلحي @muslahi وكيل الوزارة للشؤون الإدارية والمالية، باستدعاء سعادة موسى فرهنك، سفير الجمهورية الإسلامية الإيرانية المعتمد لدى سلطنة عُمان، وذلك لتسليمه مذكرة احتجاج على خلفية تعرّض مواقع في محافظتي مسندم والوسطى لاستهدافات بواسطة طائرات مسيّرة.…

— وزارة الخارجية (@FMofOman) July 12, 2026

 US missile intercepted in Lorestan province: IRGC

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have intercepted and shot down a US cruise missile near Khorramabad in Lorestan province, IRNA reports.

IRGC in Lorestan province have reported that a US cruise missile was intercepted and shot down near Khorramabad on Sunday morning. pic.twitter.com/bSyMX8JPe3

— IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) July 12, 2026

According to an IRGC statement, the missile was destroyed by a cutting-edge air defence system operated by the IRGC Aerospace Force and integrated into Iran’s national air defence network.

Hormuz transit 'currently not possible' due to US military operations, regulating agency says

Passage through the Strait of Hormuz is “currently not possible” due to US military’s “recent illegal movements”, Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) says in a post on X.

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به اطلاع تمامی متقاضیان گرامی میرساند،
به دلیل تحرکات غیرقانونی اخیر نیروهای نظامی ایالات متحده در منطقه، تردد از تنگه هرمز در حال حاضر امکانپذیر نمی‌باشد. به محض برقراری ثبات و آرامش، کلیه درخواستها بر اساس زمان بندی بررسی و مجوزهای لازم صادر خواهد شد.

— PGSA | نهاد مدیریت آبراه خلیج فارس (@PGSA_IRAN) July 12, 2026

“As soon as stability and calm are restored, all requests will be reviewed based on the schedule, and the necessary permits will be issued.”

The Iranian agency mandated to authorise and regulate transit through Hormuz has said that the only way to obtain a transit permit is through its website.