The U.S. military launched a second wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, as the battle over the Strait of Hormuz intensified and the Trump administration moved to enforce a renewed naval blockade on Iranian ports and vessels. CBS News reported the second wave of U.S. strikes as the Hormuz battle escalated.
U.S. Central Command said the second wave targeted Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz, calling the waterway vital to global commerce. CBS News reported that the new strikes followed another round of U.S. attacks earlier Wednesday morning and a seven-hour overnight barrage against dozens of Iranian targets. CENTCOM said the strikes targeted Iranian capabilities threatening vessels.
The escalation came as Iran lashed out at U.S. allies in the region. Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan reported incoming Iranian missile or drone attacks Wednesday, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened to halt all energy exports from the Middle East over the U.S. blockade. Iranian retaliation spread to U.S. allies in the region.
U.S. Strikes Iran In Back-To-Back Waves
The latest U.S. strikes on Iran mark a sharp acceleration in the war’s tempo. CBS reported that the U.S. military launched two back-to-back waves of strikes Wednesday, making it the fifth day of renewed attacks since the conflict ramped back up over the Strait of Hormuz. The new strike waves came during the fifth day of renewed attacks.
CENTCOM said the strikes were designed to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping and civilian crews. The U.S. military said its overnight attacks hit missile and drone sites, coastal defense systems and other targets tied to Iranian threats against vessels in the strait. U.S. strikes targeted missile, drone and coastal defense sites.
That is a defensible mission if it stays focused. Iran cannot be allowed to attack commercial shipping, intimidate lawful traffic or turn the Strait of Hormuz into a hostage zone for global energy markets. The United States has a clear interest in keeping the waterway open.
But the pace of strikes also raises the risk of mission creep. A limited operation to protect shipping can quickly become a broader campaign if Washington keeps expanding target lists and Tehran keeps retaliating against U.S. partners.
Blockade Intercepts Two Vessels
The renewed U.S. blockade is already being enforced. CBS reported that CENTCOM said U.S. forces redirected two commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade within 17 hours of its reinstatement. Trump said the blockade would stop Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving while allowing other countries “fair and open use” of the strait. CENTCOM said U.S. forces redirected two vessels attempting to run the blockade.
AP reported that the U.S. reimposed the naval blockade on Iranian ports in retaliation for Tehran’s attacks on ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. AP also reported that the U.S. carried out another wave of strikes as it reimposed the blockade, hitting dozens of targets over seven hours. AP reported the blockade and strikes followed Iranian attacks on ships.
That combination of blockade and airstrikes is meant to squeeze Iran militarily and economically. It tells Tehran that ship attacks will not be rewarded with negotiations on Iran’s terms.
The problem is that blockades are not clean instruments. They require enforcement, rules of engagement, legal clarity and a plan for what happens when vessels refuse orders. If Iran tries to break the blockade or uses proxies to strike nearby shipping, U.S. commanders could face dangerous split-second decisions.
Iran Claims Hormuz Remains Closed
Iran’s state media insisted Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to all vessels and claimed two commercial ships attempting to pass without Iranian coordination were targeted with warning fire and stopped. CBS noted that the U.S. and Iran are now arguing over whether the strait is open or closed while traffic remains virtually gridlocked in practical terms. Iran claimed the strait remained closed as the U.S. disputed control.
Reuters reported that 11 vessels transited the strait Tuesday before the renewed U.S. blockade took effect, with nine using Iranian routes. Reuters also reported that no tankers were visible entering or exiting to load oil and gas from other Gulf producers that day, reflecting how deeply shipping has slowed. Reuters reported traffic through the strait slowed sharply before the blockade took effect.
This is where Iran’s leverage comes from. Even when the strait is not fully closed, fear can be enough to choke traffic. Insurers raise prices. Shippers avoid routes. Energy markets tighten. Consumers eventually feel it through fuel and goods prices.
The U.S. cannot allow Tehran to control that pressure point. But Washington also needs to avoid giving Iran propaganda by appearing to replace Iranian coercion with an improvised American toll system.
Civilian Costs And Battlefield Claims
Iranian officials said recent U.S. strikes have killed at least 35 people and wounded more than 300, according to AP and CBS. Iran’s Health Ministry did not clearly distinguish between civilians and combatants, and Iranian state television said one strike hit a barracks for the 388th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, killing seven soldiers and wounding others. Iranian officials reported casualties from recent U.S. strikes.
The United States says its targets are military capabilities tied to attacks on shipping. That distinction matters legally and strategically. Striking missile sites, drone facilities and coastal defense systems is different from striking civilian infrastructure.
Trump has threatened to hit Iranian power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations. CBS reported that Trump said the U.S. would hit Iran “very hard” and warned that “next week comes the power plants” and “the bridges.” Trump warned that power plants and bridges could be next if talks fail.
That threat should be handled carefully. If those facilities are directly used for military operations, the administration should explain that. If they are civilian infrastructure, the legal and moral risks are much higher. Conservatives can support strength without abandoning standards that separate lawful warfighting from reckless escalation.
Gulf Allies Face Retaliation
Iran’s retaliation is already spreading beyond the waterway. CBS reported that Kuwait said it was confronting hostile drone attacks from Iran, Bahrain sounded alert sirens and Jordan said it shot down three missiles from Iran. AP reported that Iran claimed attacks on all three nations, each of which hosts U.S. forces. Iranian missile and drone threats spread to Gulf and regional allies.
That is the danger of a regional conflict. Iran may not be able to defeat the U.S. military directly, but it can try to widen the pressure by targeting Gulf partners, energy infrastructure and commercial shipping.
The United States should coordinate closely with Gulf allies on air defense, maritime surveillance and rules for intercepting drones and missiles. It should also make clear that attacks on countries hosting U.S. forces will carry a cost.
Still, Washington should not let Iran dictate the tempo by dragging the U.S. into every provocation. The goal should be deterrence, not a regional war without a defined endpoint.
Oil And Aviation Risks Rise
The Strait of Hormuz remains the economic center of the crisis. AP reported that about a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas trade passes through the strait during peacetime, while CBS reported Brent crude remained above $85 a barrel Wednesday as intensified strikes hampered energy flows. AP reported that about one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas trade passes through Hormuz.
Reuters reported that shipping through the strait has slowed sharply, with Gulf traffic increasingly concentrated on Iranian-approved routes and shippers remaining risk-averse after recent attacks. Reuters reported shippers remain cautious as Hormuz traffic slows.
The risk is not only maritime. CBS reported that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency warned airlines not to fly through parts of the Persian Gulf region because missiles, drones, air-defense systems and unpredictable military developments pose a high risk to civil flights. European aviation regulators warned airlines about Gulf-region airspace risks.
That shows how quickly a maritime fight can spill into broader economic disruption. Energy prices, airline routes, insurance costs and military risk all move together in a crisis like this.
America Needs Force With Limits
Trump’s instinct to punish Iran for threatening Hormuz is right. A hostile regime should not be allowed to attack commercial vessels, fire on U.S. partners and then demand negotiations as if nothing happened.
But strength needs limits. The administration should define the mission in plain terms: protect lawful shipping, stop Iranian attacks, degrade military assets tied to maritime aggression and bring Iran back to negotiations without letting the war expand into open-ended regime-change ambitions.
Congress should receive a clear briefing on the blockade, target selection, civilian-risk safeguards, rules of engagement and the point at which the current strike campaign ends. The public also deserves to know how the administration plans to protect U.S. consumers from energy shocks if the standoff drags on.
The U.S. strikes Iran again because Tehran chose to put global shipping at risk. That response can be justified. It will remain justified only if Washington keeps the mission disciplined, the targets lawful and the strategy focused on reopening Hormuz, not stumbling into another long Middle East war.
