US Strikes Enter Thirteenth Night as Hormuz Traffic Collapses; Oil Tops $100
Atlantic Digest World Desk | FRIDAY 24 JULY, 2026
The United States launched a thirteenth consecutive night of air strikes against Iran on Friday, deepening a conflict that has pushed the Gulf region closer to a broader regional war and sent global energy markets into renewed turmoil.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that an American missile struck Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday afternoon, with Iranian authorities assessing the extent of the damage. The strategically located island lies close to one of the world’s busiest maritime chokepoints for oil exports.
According to figures released by Iran’s Health Ministry, 53 people have been killed and 592 injured in US strikes carried out between June 27 and July 22, including six women and three children. The figures represent Tehran’s official assessment and have not been independently verified.
Speaking at the White House, President Donald Trump suggested that an immediate ceasefire remained unlikely, saying Iranian leaders “would like to do something” but were not yet prepared to end the fighting. He reiterated his warning that the United States would destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant each time Iran attacks vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran responded with its own warning. Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, declared that any further attacks on Iran’s critical infrastructure would trigger a severe and escalating military response.
The conflict is also disrupting one of the world’s most important energy corridors. The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), based in Bahrain, reported that commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to its lowest level in three weeks as shipowners and insurers increasingly avoid the route because of mounting security risks.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that no commercial vessel was willing to use the southern shipping lane promoted by Washington, asserting that its military presence had effectively deterred traffic. However, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) rejected that claim, insisting the strait remains open and stating that American forces have assisted more than 900 merchant vessels since the beginning of May.
The deteriorating security environment has driven energy prices sharply higher, with international crude oil prices climbing above $100 per barrel as traders reacted to fears of prolonged disruption to Gulf exports.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi movement, an ally of Iran, claimed responsibility for attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea and threatened to impose a blockade on the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, another critical global shipping route. President Trump warned that the United States would hold Iran directly responsible for any future Houthi attacks on international shipping.
With military operations intensifying across multiple fronts and maritime traffic continuing to decline, analysts warn that the conflict is entering an increasingly dangerous phase with potentially far-reaching consequences for global energy supplies, international trade and regional stability.
