The US and Israel began strikes on Iran in late February 2026. The fight narrowed to control of the Strait of Hormuz after a June lifted mutual and opened a 60-day negotiating window that collapsed on 8 July. Iran struck three commercial tankers on 6 July that had bypassed its approved transit routes. On 12 July the IRGC moved to shut the strait and Tehran suspended its commitments under the memorandum. The US resumed sustained nightly strikes.
On 14 September a cruise missile struck a US vessel in the strait. Three US officials told NBC News that the previously unreported Iranian attack injured eight Marines.
The incident marks the first confirmed direct hit on an American naval asset in the current phase of the Hormuz fighting. The strait remains the narrow operational focus where Iran retains the ability to threaten tanker traffic while US forces conduct strikes against Iranian maritime .