US unloads military might on Iran after Tehran closes Strait of Hormuz: ‘Now they pay’

US unloads military might on Iran after Tehran closes Strait of Hormuz: ‘Now they pay’

By David Spector, MU Post

Updated July 12, 2026

The US unleashed its military might on Iran after the regime attacked a commercial vessel and declared the Strait of Hormuz closed Saturday.

“Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth posted on X.

US forces pounded the Islamic Republic late Saturday, striking 140 targets including missile and drone sites, naval assets, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks, and surveillance locations, United States Central Command said in a statement.

Over 300 targets inside Iran have now been hit since the regime first violated the fragile cease-fire by launching missiles at commercial ships traversing the Strait of Hormuz on July 6, the agency added.

Iran attacks ship, announces Strait of Hormuz is closed — and US strikes back in response

Aerial image of a suspected high explosive test chamber hall after being hit by bunker buster bombs, showing penetrations, a partially collapsed support building, and a collapsed protective defensive wall.

Alarming new satellite images show signs Iran may be trying to rebuild suspected nuclear facilities

Iran also targeted other ships navigating the strait, and the US shot down several drones, an official told the Wall Street Journal.

The US vowed that Tehran would pay a “heavy cost” and said that the retaliation, which began at 7:15 p.m. ET, was being carried out under the direction of the commander in chief, President Trump.

“Iran was provided yet another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels but has again failed,” CENTCOM said in a statement on X.

Explosions were heard in the southern Iranian coastal cities of Bushehr Chabahar and Asaluyeh early Sunday local time, Iranian state-run media reported.

Iranian state media claimed that military buildings were hit in the Busehr strikes, and a military site in Deyr was also hit.

There were also strikes in the city of Kagan, which is near Iran’s vital South Pars oil and gas field, and in Jask, according to the New York Times.

Additional strikes were reported deeper inside Iran, including in the city of Kerman, which is 300 miles away from the coast, CNN reported.

The regime responded to the fierce US retaliation by launching wave of attacks on multiple US allies in the region.

The United Arab Emirates Defense Ministry announced that Iran had targeted the country with a missile and drone onslaught.

“The UAE’s air defenses are currently engaging with missile attacks and incoming drones from Iran,” The UAE’s Ministry of Defense posted on X.

Jordan’s Prince Hassan Air Force base was also targeted by numerous ballistic missiles, according to Iranian State Media.

The IRGC claimed to have destroyed a command and control center and several drone storage facilities at the base, CNN reported.

In addition, Qatar’s air defenses intercepted a missile attack, the ministry of defense posted on X.

Iran had earlier warned that US strikes would be met with a “severe” response and that “new enemy bases” in the Middle East would be targeted.

Alarm sirens also rang out in Bahrain, the country’s Interior Ministry announced.

The IRGC claimed to have fired a “warning shot” at the Cyprus-flagged ship, which was traversing an “unauthorized route.”

“Following this incident … the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice and until the end of the American interventions in this area, and no vessels will be allowed to pass through it,” it said in a statement.

Iran’s attack came after the Trump administration issued an ultimatum to Tehran on Friday, demanding that the regime publicly declare that the Strait of Hormuz was open for business and that there would be no further attacks on shipping.

Meanwhile, diplomats from both sides feverishly tried to resuscitate negotiations after Trump declared the cease-fire was off.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks,” Trump posted on Truth Social Friday.

“We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!”

Iran had earlier warned that US strikes would be met with a “severe” response and that “new enemy bases” in the Middle East would be targeted.

Earlier this Saturday, before hostilities erupted, Iranian and Omani representatives met in Muscat to discuss the crucial international waterway.

The two nations weighed a proposal to divide the Strait of Hormuz — through which 20% of the world’s oil supply flows — into two routes.

One route would be under Iranian control and the other would be managed by Oman, CNN reported.

US officials cast doubt on whether a nuclear deal with Tehran would ultimately be reached if the Islamic Republic refused to open the waterway, the WSJ reported.

Enmity between Iran and the United States intensified this week, with Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei vowing to avenge his father’s death.

“The criminal, disgraceful murderers of the martyred leader… will carry their dream of a peaceful death in bed to the grave…This vengeance is what our nation is demanding, and this must definitely be done,” he said in a statement Saturday.

Former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed at the outset of Operation Epic Fury in a US-Israeli airstrike.

Trump told The Post on Friday that he has left detailed instructions for Iran’s “obliteration” should the Islamic Republic assassinate him.

“I’ve been on their list for a long time. That’s what we’re dealing with,” he said. “The only thing is, I’ve left instructions — if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels that they’ve never seen before,” Trump said.