NPR News: 07-13-2026 2AM EDT

Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. U.S. Central Command says the latest U.S. attacks on Iran have ended. They were one of a series of strikes launched after Iran fired on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. Tehran said the strait is closed to transit entirely amid the latest round of hostilities. "It's open. We bombed the hell out of them last night," a U.S. official said. Central Command says it is striking targets in Iran to "continue degrading their ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz."

U.S.-Iran Hostilities Escalate in the Strait of Hormuz

The dominant development in this news roundup is a sharp escalation between the United States and Iran. U.S. Central Command confirmed that the latest American attacks on Iran have concluded, forming part of a series of retaliatory strikes. These were launched after Iran fired on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. In response, Tehran declared the strait—a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments—closed to transit. The U.S. response was blunt: "We bombed the hell out of them last night," a U.S. official said. Central Command framed the operation as a defensive measure to degrade Iran's ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships. The strikes mark a significant escalation in a region already on edge, with the Strait of