TWO OIL TANKERS HIT IN HORMUZ STRAIT
By Guardian - Tom Ambrose/Yohannes /Adam Fulton -Tue 14 Jul 2026 15.51 BST
UAE says Iranian cruise missiles hit two oil tankers in strait, killing a crew member and wounding eight.
Interim summary . In case you’re just joining us, here’s a quick recap of the latest as the Middle East crisis escalates once again. It’s 9.30am in Tehran and 2am in Washington DC.
- The US carried out a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Monday and two tankers came under fire in the strait of Hormuz.
- Donald Trump said the US would reinstate its blockade of Iranian shipping in the Gulf. It would begin at 4pm ET on Tuesday, US Central Command said.
- Trump said the Hormuz strait would stay open “with or without Iran” but that the US would start charging fees on ships transiting through the waterway, in an apparent policy reversal. A 20% fee would be levied “for any and all costs necessary” to provide security and safety for vessels, the president said.
- Iran’s top joint military command said the US had no role in determining the strait’s future and would not be allowed to intervene. Foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran would “forever” be the guardian of the strait.
- Iranian media reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran’s Kish and Qeshm islands and on Abu Musa Island in the Gulf shortly after the US military announced the renewed strikes on Iran.
- The United Arab Emirates said Iranian cruise missiles struck two Emirati oil tankers while transiting the southern lane of the vital energy transit route in Omani territorial waters, killing a crew member and injuring eight.
- Oil prices rose 2% to their highest in four weeks amid heightened uncertainty about energy flows through the strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures climbed 2% to $84.98 a barrel by 0051 GMT on Tuesday, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 2.1% to $79.79. Brent crude surged 9.6% in the previous session – its biggest daily gain since May 2020.
Updated at 10.21
Israel’s security cabinet approved a budget of 1.3 billion shekels ($434m) for establishing 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, right-wing finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Tuesday, adding to tensions over territory widely viewed as central to a potential Palestinian state.
UN bodies, Palestinians and most countries view the settlements as illegal under international conventions - a stance disputed by Israel - and a primary obstacle to peace.
Smotrich, who has long opposed Palestinian statehood, is head of the Religious Zionism party that draws much of its support from settlements and is running in the upcoming legislative election on 27 October.
The planned settlements would bring the total established under his four-year tenure to 103.
15.10 BST
Netanyahu warns Iran that Israel will hit back powerfully if attacked
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said Isreal will strike powerfully against Iran if Tehran carried out an attack on his country.
“I will say it to the leaders of Iran: Do not count on things remaining quiet if you attack us,” Netanyahu said at a conference.
“The days are over when someone strikes us and we don’t hit back with a decisive blow.”
14.43 BST
Asked about reports of new attacks on Iran today, an American official has been quoted by the NY Times as confirming that US forces had conducted “a few additional strikes to eliminate emerging threats”.
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