Iran war: Trump reinstates US blockade of Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump says the US will restart its naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, targeting Iranian ships and those doing business with Iran. Follow DW for the latest.

https://p.dw.com/p/5GyH6

Three boys play in the shallow waters of the Strait of Hormuz, as a plume of smoke rises from an explosion in the background, off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Monday, July 13, 2026
Control of ‌the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil supplies, has become one of ‌the ​main battlegrounds of the conflictImage: Razieh Poudat/ISNA/AP Photo/picture alliance

Skip next section What you need to know

What you need to know

  • President Donald Trump has said the United States is ‘reinstating’ a blockade on Iran
  • Trump says US would charge any other ships for passage through the Strait of Hormuz
  • The US military said it carried out strikes on Iran
  • The US forces said they hit Iranian air defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone equipment, and small boats
  • Iran retaliated to the strikes by targeting the US’ allies in the Middle East

Follow DW’s coverage of the war between the US and Iran on Monday, July 13.

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Skip next section Trump says US reinstating naval blockade of Iranian ports07/13/2026July 13, 2026

Trump says US reinstating naval blockade of Iranian ports

President Donald Trumpsays the United States is reinstating a blockade targeting Iranian shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a social media post, Trump says Iranian vessels and their customers will no longer be allowed to enter or leave through the strategic waterway.

“The USA. will be, from this point forward, known as ‘The guardian of the Hormuz strait,’ but as such, and as a matter of fairness, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the world,” he said. 

Trump says other countries will continue to have what he calls fair and open access to the route.

The announcement follows another major exchange of fire between US and Iranian forces

Before Iran asserted control after the war began, the Strait of Hormuz carried around one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies.

https://p.dw.com/p/5H1cUSkip next section Yemen government says it hit Sanaa’s airport to stop Iranian plane landing07/13/2026July 13, 2026

Yemen government says it hit Sanaa’s airport to stop Iranian plane landing

Smoke seen behind buildings
Smoke is seen rising following the airport attack in SanaaImage: Khaled Abdullah/REUTERS

Yemen‘s internationally recognized government has claimed an attack on the airport in Sanaa, saying it was to stop an Iranian plane carrying Houthi rebels from landing.

“The terrorist Houthi militias — backed by the Iranian regime — prevented Yemeni national aircraft from landing at the airport in the capital, Sanaa, while insisting on allowing an Iranian plane to violate Yemeni territory; consequently, the airport runway was targeted,” the Yemeni Defense Ministry said.

The Houthis, meanwhile, have initially claimed that Saudi Arabia launched the airstrikes on the airport, with military spokesman Yahya Saree saying “this aggression will not go unanswered or unpunished.”

Orders have been issued to evacuate the airport and surrounding areas.

A Saudi-led coalition based in Yemen’s south, where the internationally recognized government sits, has for years been fighting the Iranian-aligned Houthis, who control the capital along with most of central and northern Yemen.

https://p.dw.com/p/5H13gSkip next section Iran targeting civilians in Bahrain — military07/13/2026July 13, 2026

Iran targeting civilians in Bahrain — military

Bahrain‘s military has accused Iran of targeting civilians with its latest attacks on the kingdom, contradicting Tehran’s claim that it has hit only military sites.

“Iran continues its systematic hostile approach through its heinous attacks with missiles and drones that target civilians in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” the general command of the island nation’s military said in a statement.

It added that air defenses had “intercepted and destroyed a number of Iranian aerial attacks” on Monday morning.

Iran has said it has carried out strikes on US military facilities and infrastructure in the Gulf country, which is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.

https://p.dw.com/p/5H0CNSkip next section Iran says US has failed to adhere to MoUPublished 07/13/2026Published July 13, 2026last updated 07/13/2026last updated July 13, 2026

Iran says US has failed to adhere to MoU

Iran will not comply with the recent memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the US if Washing did not stick by its commitments to end the war, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

“Each time that the other party has failed to meet its obligations, we did not uphold ours … We will continue to act in this manner,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson ⁠Esmaeil ​Baghaei ​said.

Nevertheless, Iran would continue talks with mediators from Qatar, Pakistan and Oman.

“The role of the mediators is to continue their efforts to prevent an escalation of tensions,” Baqaei said.

https://p.dw.com/p/5GzKfSkip next section Iran claims it struck Oman, destroyed radar systems07/13/2026July 13, 2026

Iran claims it struck Oman, destroyed radar systems

Iran said that it destroyed radar systems in Oman, news agency AFP reported on Monday, citing a statement published by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) media arm.  

The IRGC Navy “targeted and destroyed” a long-range airborne radar and a ship-detection radar in Oman, the IRGC said in a statement run by its outlet Sepah News. 

There is yet to be a statement from Oman on the Iranian attack.

On Sunday, Oman  — which long played the role of an interlocutor between Iran and the West — had summoned the Iranian ambassador to lodge a formal protest over Tehran’s attacks on Omani territory. 

https://p.dw.com/p/5GyYhSkip next section Jordan says it intercepted 4 Iranian missiles07/13/2026July 13, 2026

Jordan says it intercepted 4 Iranian missiles

Jordan said it shot down four missiles launched by Iran, state news agency Petra reported on Monday. 

According to Petra, a Jordanian source military said that the missiles “breached” the Jordanian airspace from Iranian territory early in the morning, adding that no casualties or material damage was reported in the incident.

There was no immediate comment from Iran on the claimed downing of its missiles. 

https://p.dw.com/p/5GyOuSkip next section Kuwait says air defenses activated amid ‘hostile’ fire07/13/2026July 13, 2026

Kuwait says air defenses activated amid ‘hostile’ fire

Kuwait’s armed forces said on Monday they were responding to “hostile aerial targets” on Monday as Iran retaliates over US airstrikes.

“The Armed Forces are currently intercepting hostile aerial targets within Kuwaiti airspace,” the head of Kuwait’s army said in a statement ran by the official KUNA news agency.

https://p.dw.com/p/5GyMhSkip next section Iran says it hit Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa Air Base07/13/2026July 13, 2026

Iran says it hit Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa Air Base

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had struck the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain on Monday in what it described as a second phase of Tehran’s retaliatory strikes against recent US attacks. 

Bahrain’s air raid alarms went off for the second time in two hours, according to posts made by the US ally’s interior ministry on X. 

Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.

https://p.dw.com/p/5GyLPSkip next section Iran claims attack on US bases in Kuwait07/13/2026July 13, 2026

Iran claims attack on US bases in Kuwait

Iran struck US military bases in Kuwait, state media IRNA cited the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as saying.

The Ali Al-Salem air base — which hosts members of the US Air Force — was reportedly among the sites attacked.

https://p.dw.com/p/5GyK2Skip next section US military completes latest round of strikes on Iran07/13/2026July 13, 2026

US military completes latest round of strikes on Iran

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that it has concluded a new wave of strikes against Iran, hitting dozens of targets at multiple locations with precision munitions.

The US forces hit Iranian air defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone equipment and small boats, according to a statement released by CENTCOM on Monday.

It said that the US used fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack aerial drones, and one-way attack sea drones for the first time during the latest strikes.

The US military insisted that Tehran “does not control” the Strait of Hormuz.

“The Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global trade. Iran does not control it,” CENTCOM said.

The statement also said that the US military was “postured and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available to commercial shipping” despite what it alleged was Tehran’s “continued unwarranted aggression, harassment, threats and arbitrary declarations.”

https://p.dw.com/p/5GyJrSkip next section Iran says it hit Jordan’s Prince ​Hassan ⁠Air Base air base07/13/2026July 13, 2026

Iran says it hit Jordan’s Prince ​Hassan ⁠Air Base air base

In a statement, Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had launched a new series of strikes across the Middle East.

The IRGC said it fired missiles and drones at the Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan, setting fuel tanks and ammunition depots on fire.

The IRGC described the strikes as the first phase of its response to US attacks on Iranian coastal bases.

https://p.dw.com/p/5GyJpSkip next section Bahrain sounds air raid sirens07/13/2026July 13, 2026

Bahrain sounds air raid sirens

Air raid sirens rang through Bahrain on Monday morning, the island nation’s interior ministry said, ordering ordered residents to seek shelter as Iran targets US interests in the Gulf in response to latest US strikes.

“The siren has been sounded… citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” the Ministry of Interior posted on X. 

https://p.dw.com/p/5GyI2Skip next section One killed in strike on Iran water pumping station — state media07/13/2026July 13, 2026

One killed in strike on Iran water pumping station — state media

One person died and four others were injured in a US strike on a water pumping station in Iranian city of Mahshahr in the southwest, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported early Monday. 

“Following the attack of the American enemy on Monday morning… one person was martyred and four others were injured,” IRNA cited Valiollah Hayati, Khuzestan province’s deputy governor for security and law enforcement, as saying. 

There was no immediate statement from the United States on the reported attack. 

https://p.dw.com/p/5GyHjSkip next section Iran foreign ministry issues sharp retort to UN Secretary-General’s statement07/13/2026July 13, 2026

Iran foreign ministry issues sharp retort to UN Secretary-General’s statement

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei on Sunday called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to urge all parties involved  in the Iran war to stop allowing the United States to use their territories as what he called “launchpads for aggression against Iran”.

Guterres had earlier released a statement expressing his concern over “the serious escalation and renewed military confrontations in the Gulf,” including the Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the attacks by the US on Iran, and the attacks by Iran on targets in the neighboring nations.

Baqaei responded to the statement claiming that the escalation was not a military confrontation. 

“It is the continuation of a blatant and unprovoked act of aggression initiated on 28 February by the United States and Israel,” he said on X. 

The spokesman continued to say that Tehran does not “attack.”

“Iran’s strikes on US military bases and assets stationed in the southern Persian Gulf constitute a legitimate and lawful exercise of its inherent right to self-defense under international law,” he said.

He also attempted to correct Guterres, insisting on the use of the term “Persian Gulf.”

“BTW, it is ‘Persian Gulf’; please be loyal to the UN directives (notably on 18 August 1994, and 14 May 1999) mandating the use of the full term “Persian Gulf” in all UN texts,” Baqaei remarked.

Baqaei said that it was “far from responsible” to blame Tehran for “defending its sovereignty while failing to hold the aggressors accountable for their egregious violation of international law.”

https://p.dw.com/p/5GyHhSkip next section Iran: Diplomatic efforts ‘futile’ after US strikes07/13/2026July 13, 2026

Iran: Diplomatic efforts ‘futile’ after US strikes

Iran reacted to the latest round of US strikes on its territory by saying they have “rendered futile” the diplomatic efforts of the past few months.

According to a foreign ministry statement cited by the AFP news agency, the US military strikes “has caused the return of insecurity to the Strait of Hormuz and disruption of international commercial shipping.”

Tehran also blamed Washington for “openly” interfering in the process of “Iran implementing the necessary arrangements” in the Strait.

https://p.dw.com/p/5GyHGShow more posts

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