Iran War News LIVE Updates: Have launched new strikes against Iran, says US military
Three commercial tankers have now been struck in the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency has said, marking a further escalation in attacks on vessels transiting the strategic waterway. Earlier, a Qatari LNG tanker and a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker were damaged near the waterway after reports that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired missiles at commercial vessels transiting Hormuz.
The LNG carrier Al Rekayyat, owned by Qatar Gas Transport Company (Nakilat), was struck on its port side while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to sources. A Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker, believed to be the supertanker Wedyan, also sustained damage off the coast of Oman.
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Earlier, a tanker had caught fire after being struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday, Britain’s maritime security agency said. Iranian state television claimed the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings to use Tehran’s approved shipping route, but stopped short of officially claiming responsibility. The incident comes days after a temporary US-Iran arrangement on shipping through the strait expired, raising fresh concerns over the future of the fragile agreement.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral underway
The attack unfolded as Iran continued funeral ceremonies for slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the holy city of Qom, where hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered before his burial later this week in Mashhad. The funeral has become a major political event, with anti-US slogans echoing through the crowds, while Khamenei’s successor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to make a public appearance amid reports he remains in hiding following the strike that killed his father.
Aerial footage from the funeral procession of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Monday showed hundreds of thousands of people marching through the streets of Tehran.
Iranian media reported that millions gathered in the capital to mourn Khamenei pic.twitter.com/PEoN8CYhdq
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) July 7, 2026
Diplomacy remains on hold
Talks between Washington and Tehran are not expected to resume until after Khamenei’s burial, even as US President Donald Trump warned Iran to “make a deal, or we’re going to finish the job”.
Follow The Indian Express live blog for the latest updates on the Strait of Hormuz crisis, Iran-US negotiations, Khamenei’s funeral, Israel’s military operations and other major developments from West Asia.
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