How vessel attacks and retaliatory strikes dragged the U.S. and Iran back toward war

Wednesday, July 15, 2026Confirmed

World Desk

What we know

AP reconstructed the path back to war: a week after the preliminary deal, an Iranian drone hit a cargo ship in Hormuz; the U.S. struck missile/drone sites and coastal radars; Iran hit a tanker on an alternative route and lashed out at Kuwait and Bahrain; further ship attacks brought larger U.S. waves against air defenses, radars and scores of IRGC small boats.

By mid-July the contained tit-for-tat that briefly paused after early flareups had given way to sustained nightly bombing and a restored U.S. naval blockade.

What's confirmed

AP timeline of ship attacks and escalating retaliations (AP).
U.S. waves on air defense, radars, 60+ small boats in later response (AP).

What's still developing

Final diplomatic autopsy of which MoU clause each side claims the other broke first.

Sources

AP News — How U.S. and Iran dragged each other back toward war link