Trump says US 'taking over' Hormuz as fighting with Iran flares

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Iran's Mehr news agency says several areas in Omidiyeh, in the southwestern Khuzestan province, have been hit by US projectiles.

U.S. President Donald Trump has sent Congress formal notification that hostilities against Iran resumed on July 7, a letter his administration sees as opening a new 60-day window to use the military in the region without congressional approval.

"I directed this military action consistent with my responsibility to protect Americans and United States' national security and foreign policy interests," Trump said in the letter, dated 10 July, and seen by Reuters on Monday.

The letter outlines Trump's actions including ordering a two-week ceasefire on 7 April, which was extended, and his administration's efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

The UAE Ministry of Defence said on Monday that two national tankers were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles in the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters, killing one Indian crew member and wounding eight others, including four seriously.

The ministry said fires broke out on both tankers but had been brought under control. It condemned the attack as a serious breach of international law and said the UAE retained its full right to respond and take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and security.

تعلن وزارة الدفاع عن تعرض الناقلتين الوطنيتين (ممباسا) و (الباهية) للاستهداف بصاروخين جوالين إيرانيين في الممر الجنوبي لمضيق هرمز بالمياه الإقليمية العمانية.

وقد أسفر الاستهداف عن مقتل أحد أفراد طاقم الناقلة (ممباسا) من الجنسية الهندية، وإصابة 8 من بينهم 4 إصابات بليغة. (6 من… pic.twitter.com/KVz3qDu6kf

— وزارة الدفاع |MOD UAE (@modgovae) July 13, 2026

A missile attack targeted an Iranian Kurdish opposition group site east of Erbil in northern Iraq over Monday-Tuesday night, security sources said.

US President Donald Trump said Monday that a deal with Tehran to end the Middle East war was still possible, despite launching fresh strikes on Iran and reimposing a blockade of Iranian ports.

"Yeah, I think a deal is possible. Sure, I do," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "We had a deal with them two days ago and then they said 'Oh we can't make that deal. We have to negotiate it further.'"

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency said several explosions were heard in Kish and Qeshm Islands and Abu Musa Island in the Gulf.

Fars said explosions were also heard in the Jam district in Bushehr. The agency added that a projectile hit western Bandar Abbas but resulted in no casualties.

The US military said Monday it had launched a fresh salvo of attacks on Iran, marking the third night in a row that it had struck the country, as a deal to end the war falters.

"These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," US Central Command said in a statement on social media, noting the strikes began at 4:45 pm (2045 GMT).

US President Donald Trump said on Monday in an interview with Hugh Hewitt that Iran would be hit hard Monday and Tuesday.

He added that the US would take out Pickaxe Mountain in Iran.

"You've obliterated 3 of their nuclear sites, but they got a 4th site, maybe, at Pickaxe Mountain. Before you enter into another deal, will you insist that IAEA inspectors get down into that deep, deep, deep tunnel...?"@POTUS: "Absolutely. They don't have it because we have… pic.twitter.com/ywaTZEB2Tm

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 13, 2026

At least four explosions were heard Monday east of Iran's Bandar Abbas, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported, citing a reporter in the port city's province.

"An IRNA reporter in Hormozgan province reported hearing four explosions east of Bandar Abbas. According to him, the nature of these explosions has not yet been determined by official authorities," news agency IRNA reported.

The United States said they will suspend consular appointments in the United Arab Emirates on Monday for three days against the backdrop of escalating military tensions in the Gulf region.

"The US Embassy in Abu Dhabi and US Consulate General in Dubai have cancelled consular appointments from July 13 to 15 due to the regional security situation. If you have an appointment on those dates, Americans should not come to the embassy or consulate, we will contact you to reschedule," it said.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they had carried out a military operation targeting Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport with ballistic missiles and drones in response to what they described as Saudi airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport.

In a televised statement, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree warned all airlines against flying over Saudi airspace, urging them to take the warning seriously until what he described as the blockade on Sanaa International Airport is lifted.

🔴 بيان القوات المسلحة اليمنية بشأن استهداف مطار أبها الدولي بعددٍ من الصواريخِ الباليستية والطائرات المسيرة، وتحذير جميع شركات الطيران من العبور في أجواء المملكة السعودية 28-01-1448هـ 13-07-2026م pic.twitter.com/2v6Gn2tdNU

— قناة المسيرة (@TvAlmasirah) July 13, 2026

Oil prices shot up around nine percent Monday as President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a US naval blockade on Iranian ports while the two sides traded attacks.

Near 1820 GMT, Brent oil futures jumped 9.1 percent to $82.90 a barrel while US benchmark West Texas Intermediate also climbed by 9.1 percent, to $77.87 a barrel. The surge came as the two countries clashed over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for petroleum shipments.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday mocked US President Donald Trump over his vow to impose hefty charges on all cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran would charge a lower rate.

"POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service. Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair," Tehran's top diplomat wrote, in a social media post.

POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service.

Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER.

20% is of course too much. We will be fair

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) July 13, 2026

The US military says it will resume the port blockade on Iran on Tuesday at 8 pm GMT.

"At the Commander in Chief's direction, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will resume blockading maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on July 14 at 4 p.m. ET," a statement said.

"CENTCOM forces will enforce the blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas. The U.S. military continues to support traffic flow through regional waters for all vessels not violating the blockade."

https://t.co/g4XFtu2T2K

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 13, 2026

Iran on Monday condemned an attack on the airport in Yemeni capital Sanaa, after Yemen's internationally-recognised government said it struck the facility following a dispute over an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei described the attack "as a clear violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, as well as an affront to Yemen's national sovereignty and territorial integrity," state news agency IRNA reported.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Monday its air defences dealt with ballistic missiles launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis towards the kingdom's southern region.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres raised the alarm Monday over US strikes on Iran as well as Tehran's attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and its neighbours.

Guterres expressed "deep concern at the serious escalation of renewed military confrontation in the Gulf region, including Iranian attacks on ships on the Strait of Hormuz, attacks by the United States on the Islamic Republic of Iran, and attacks by Iran on targets in neighbouring countries," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The sixth round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel are to begin on Tuesday in Rome, a Lebanese official told AFP on Monday.

The two-day talks will begin at 10.00am (0800 GMT), the official said, requesting anonymity.

An Italian foreign ministry spokesperson had earlier said the talks would be held on July 15 and 16, and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had confirmed on July 7 that the negotiations would resume "next week".

The United States used one-way attack sea drones in combat for the first time to strike the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, the US military said on Monday.

Three US Corsair drones targeted "a submarine and ship maintenance facility" at the port on Sunday, marking "the first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X.

The strikes "degraded Iran's ability to continue attacking commercial shipping," CENTCOM said.

The military command's post included a video of sea drones exploding near two piers, sparking fires and sending smoke pouring into the air over the port.

Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran. Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea… pic.twitter.com/bOM2kmgRxz

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 13, 2026

Yemen's Transport Ministry has denied reports circulating on social media claiming that all airports across the country have been closed to air traffic until further notice.

In a statement, the ministry said the circular, purportedly issued by the General Authority of Civil Aviation and Meteorology, was false.

It added that all airports remain operational and that air traffic and scheduled flights are continuing as normal.

The ministry urged the public and media outlets to rely on official sources and refrain from sharing unverified information that could cause confusion or disrupt air travel.

A tanker has reported being approached by six small boats 50 nautical miles (93 km) south of Yemen's Aden, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported on Monday, adding warning shots were fired by the tanker.

The British maritime security firm Ambrey later said that Automatic Identification System data indicated the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker initiated evasive maneuvers after the skiffs approached on its starboard side.

Ambrey reported that one skiff came very close to the tanker before its armed security team fired warning shots. The skiffs subsequently abandoned their pursuit, allowing the tanker to continue its voyage uninterrupted.

Yemen's internationally recognised government on Monday ordered all airports in the country to shut after it struck the one in Sanaa to keep an Iranian plane from landing.

"The Civil Aviation and Meteorology Authority (CAMA) hereby informs all airlines and international organizations operating flights to and from the airports of the Republic of Yemen that all airports in the Republic of Yemen are closed until further notice, with immediate effect," it said in a statement posted on Facebook.

While the government does not control airports in Houthi-held areas such as Sanaa, the Saudi-led coalition that backs it requires aircraft to request clearance for entering the airspace, a restriction it says it enforces on the government's behalf.

US President Donald Trump on Monday vowed to charge all cargo shipped through Hormuz to pay for keeping the strait open, and to reinstate a blockade on Iranian ships.

"The Hormuz Strait is OPEN," he posted. "We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran's ships or customers from entering or leaving."

He added the United States "will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security" through the vital waterway.

Iran's military warned on Monday that it would not allow the United States to "interfere" in the management of the Strait of Hormuz as hostilities with Washington resumed.

The spokesman of Khatam Al-Anbiya military command said in a video message that Tehran "under no circumstances will allow... the United States to interfere in the management" of the strategic waterway, while warning Gulf countries that any cooperation with the US would be considered "an act of war".

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps accused the United States on Monday of jeopardising global oil and gas supplies by interfering in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as renewed hostilities flared.

IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebi said Washington had "seriously endangered the security of the world's oil and gas supply and must be held accountable", adding in a post on X that Tehran "will continue to exercise sovereignty over and management of the Strait of Hormuz".