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US disables two tankers, hits Iranian base amid blockade

7/26/2026

32 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

US Forces Blockade

U.S. forces disabled M/T Lavine on July 24 and the Curacao-flagged tanker Belma on July 15 after each ignored warnings and tried to breach the U.S. blockade.
By July 25, U.S. Central Command said it redirected 12 vessels, disabled two non-compliant ships and boarded two.
The United States hit a Revolutionary Guard naval base in northern Iran and bombed sites after the Guard claimed to have struck a U.S. base in Kuwait.

Summary

UN chief warns

The Iranian Health Ministry reports that 3,434 people have been killed since the war began.
U.N. human-rights chief Volker Türk said roughly 6,000 mariners on 400 vessels are stranded without food, water or medical aid.
Saudi officials said Houthi strikes damaged a telecom facility and injured an employee and a woman on Kamaran Island.

History

Historical Context

In April 1988 President Ronald Reagan ordered Operation Praying Mantis, destroying two Iranian frigates, a fast-attack craft and six naval vessels after the USS Samuel B. Roberts hit a mine. The strike helped push Iran toward a cease-fire in the Iran-Iraq War. Echoing that clash, U.S. Central Command’s July 2024 attacks on tankers Lavine, Belma and a Revolutionary Guard base revive the same Gulf-shipping tensions.

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US Forces Blockade

U.S. forces disabled M/T Lavine on July 24 and the Curacao-flagged tanker Belma on July 15 after each ignored warnings and tried to breach the U.S. blockade.
By July 25, U.S. Central Command said it redirected 12 vessels, disabled two non-compliant ships and boarded two.
The United States hit a Revolutionary Guard naval base in northern Iran and bombed sites after the Guard claimed to have struck a U.S. base in Kuwait.

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