Overview
- U.S. Central Command said it completed a fresh wave of precision strikes on multiple southern and port targets in Iran, using guided munitions, drones and naval assets to degrade missile, radar and small-boat capabilities.
- President Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a naval blockade on Iranian ports and CENTCOM said enforcement will begin on 23 July; Trump also withdrew a proposed 20% transit toll and said Gulf states will pursue investment deals with the U.S. instead.
- Maritime-data firm Kpler reported a sharp fall in confirmed ship transits through the Strait of Hormuz and widespread turning off of tracking beacons, a shift that shipping sources and analysts say underpinned a jump in Brent to around $85 per barrel.
- U.S. officials say the operations aim to protect commercial navigation, while Iran’s foreign ministry denounced the strikes as war crimes and said the attacks nullify efforts to de‑escalate, and Iran has launched counterattacks with missiles and drones against regional targets.
- Separately, Pakistani security forces continue Operation Shaban in Balochistan with authorities reporting more than 100 militants killed since early July, and Sindh police and the CTD announced the arrest of Qari Bashir and an alleged facilitator network tied to the 27 June Rangers camp attack in Karachi.