Day 136 | US strikes Iran again as Tehran says diplomacy 'rendered futile'

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Read more: Day 137 | Trump says US to launch more strikes on Iran as naval blockade resumes

Iran's navy says it fired cruise missiles at a "hostile" US vessel, according to state broadcaster IRIB, which also reported attacks across the region.

The claim came as the United States announced it would begin blocking Iranian ports from 20:00 GMT on Tuesday, further escalating tensions.

The Public Relations of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced that in response to repeated American hostilities and aggressions against the country, Iranian military forces launched a series of retaliatory drone and cruise missile strikes against US military assets in the region.

According to the official military statement, the Army deployed destruction drones to strike several key targets at a US military base in Kuwait.

In a parallel operation, the Iranian Navy launched cruise missiles targeting a hostile American vessel in response to previous missile attacks on Iranian military centers.

According to the Iranian Army's Public Relations department, the drone operation in Kuwait successfully targeted critical infrastructure of what they termed the "US terrorist army."

The specific targets hit by the destruction drones include:

• Communication systems
• Fuel storage tanks
• Patriot missile defense systems
• Air traffic control towers
• Ammunition depots
• Navy engages hostile US vessels

Simultaneously, the Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran executed a naval response following missile strikes that had previously targeted several of Iran's own military facilities.

Naval forces launched cruise missiles, successfully targeting and striking a hostile American vessel.

Addressing its adversaries, the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran warned "unwise enemies" to learn a lesson from the steadfastness, unity, and integrity of the great Iranian nation in defending the country.

The military added that Iran's defensive strikes are designed in direct response to aggressions and will continue with full force, proportional to the level of hostilities carried out by the "covenant-breaking enemy."

US President Donald Trump announced that the United States will strike Iran "very hard" tonight and tomorrow, asserting that the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Tehran was merely a test that the Iranian regime completely failed to respect.

Iran's Tasnim News Agency has reported that a number of violating maritime vessels have been targeted within the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Four missiles have just impacted the outskirts of Konarak while a US aircraft was spotted in the airspace above the city, producing a terrifying roar and powerful explosions that severely shook doors and windows as far away as Dashtiari and Chabahar, according to IRNA.

An IRNA reporter in Iran's Hormozgan province reported that four explosions were heard east of the strategic port city of Bandar Abbas, though official authorities have not yet confirmed whether the blasts were caused by incoming enemy projectiles or local air defense systems intercepting drones.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded via X to Donald Trump's maritime declarations, mockingly agreeing that the guardian of the Strait of Hormuz deserves compensation before asserting that Iran has always been and will remain the true "GUARDIAN" of the waterway forever, adding that Trump's proposed 20% cargo fee is "too much" and that Iran "will be fair."

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

US President Donald Trump has formally notified congressional leaders in a letter obtained on Monday that US forces launched "defensive strikes against targets within Iran" on July 7, reigniting a fierce constitutional showdown over the White House's authority to continue waging war without congressional approval.

The US Navy has declared that a comprehensive naval blockade encompassing the entire Iranian coastline, including all maritime ports and vital oil terminals, will officially commence tomorrow at exactly 20:00 GMT, explicitly warning that the military restrictions will strictly apply to all maritime vessels regardless of the flag they fly.

The Spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Esmail Baghaei condemned the recent military attack on Sanaa International Airport, denouncing it as a blatant violation of international law, the United Nations Charter, and a severe infringement on the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yemen.

The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, expressed deep concern Monday over the worsening situation in the country and warned of the risk of further escalation.

Grundberg called on all sides to exercise restraint, saying the latest developments could lead to a wider regional escalation.

His comments came after Yemen’s Saudi-backed government said it carried out a strike on Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing.

The government also announced the closure of all Yemeni airports “until further notice” and said it would not allow the country’s airspace to be violated.

According to a US Central Command spokesperson speaking to The New York Times, Axios, military officials are currently finalizing coordination details to launch and enforce a naval blockade on Iran starting later today.

The US military attacked a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran on Sunday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that three of its personnel were killed in the Khuzestan Province on Monday following an airstrike that targeted the city of Abadan in southwestern Iran.

US President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that Iran's newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is "90% gone" following his father's death, asserting to Fox News that continuous US military strikes have completely decimated Iran's navy, air force, and anti-aircraft defenses while neutralizing their top leadership.

US President Donald Trump announced that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open to all nations except Iran under a newly reinstated "Iranian Blockade" targeting only Iranian ships or customers, while declaring that the United States will serve as "The Guardian of the Hormuz Strait" and immediately implement a 20% safety and security reimbursement fee on all cargo shipped through the waterway.

Yemen’s civil aviation authority has ordered the closure of all airports to air traffic until further notice following a strike on Sanaa International Airport.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government said Monday that its forces targeted the airport runway to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing after it allegedly violated orders not to enter Yemeni airspace.

“The Houthi terrorist militia, supported by the Iranian regime, prevented Yemeni national aircraft from landing at the capital’s airport, Sanaa, and insisted that the Iranian aircraft violate Yemeni airspace. Therefore, the airport runway was targeted,” the government said in a statement.

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said Monday that it would not allow the United States to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.

“We will never allow the United States to intervene in the management of the Strait of Hormuz,” the headquarters said in a statement.

The Iranian military body also blamed the US and countries cooperating with its forces for what it described as growing insecurity and the expansion of the war in the region.

US President Donald Trump said the United States would “hit them very hard” after accusing Iran of failing to honor a deal, as US military strikes against Iran increased over the weekend.

“We hit them very hard last night. Every time they send a drone, we hit them very hard. But we had a deal. What nobody knows, we had a deal. It was a done deal, and then they broke it,” Trump said in a phone interview with Fox News.

“We’ve had 10 deals with these people, and so we’re just going to hit them very hard,” he added.

Trump also said the US would take on a role as the “guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz and should be paid for protecting the strategic waterway.

“Now we’re going to guard it, and we’re going to get paid for guarding it,” Trump said, adding that Washington should be reimbursed for “putting our people in danger.”

His comments came after the US military expanded its strikes against Iran, while tensions continued to rise over control of the Strait of Hormuz.