- By Shubham Bajpai
- Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:08 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
- US launched major strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island.
- Targets included missile systems near Strait of Hormuz.
- UN urges de-escalation amid rising US-Iran tensions.
The United States on Sunday launched the biggest wave of strikes targeting Iranian territories amid renewed tensions. Pentagon hit Iran's largest island, Qeshm, near the contentious Strait of Hormuz in fresh strikes.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported, citing Qeshm Island governor, that under a dozen projectiles had been fired since Sunday afternoon (local time).
Iranian media reported that at least one person was killed in the US strikes while two others were injured. Qeshm in the Persian Gulf is home to about 1,50,000 people.
The US also targeted the Iranian missile defence system near the Strait of Hormuz. According to a report by news agency AP, citing a US official, a few strikes were conducted on missile and air defence systems and small Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) boats at a couple of locations around the strait. The attacks were aimed to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping.
ALSO READ: 'Iran Doesn't Control Strait': US Claims Hormuz Remains Open As Tehran Restricts Maritime Movement
UN urges restraint, back to negotiations
The United Nations secretary-general, António Guterres, expressed concern over the "serious escalation." In a statement, he urged the US and Iran to halt new fighting and resume talks.
The tensions rose as the two countries are in the middle of a 60-day ceasefire for negotiations to end the war. While the war of words continued, the military strikes resumed on July 7 and escalated on Saturday after a Cyprus-flagged ship was targeted with Iranian warning shots in the Strait.
The strike on the vessel prompted intensified attacks on Iranian territory and assets by the US. The exchanges proved detrimental as Iran announced to shut the Hormuz again.
US Central Command, however, contradicted the Iranian claims and said that the Strait remains open. In a strong-worded statement, CENTCOM said that Iran does not control the Strait and that US forces are "positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations."