US strikes Iran after a second tanker is hit in the Strait of Hormuz

On June 28, 2026, the United States struck Iranian targets again, and Iran answered by firing drones and missiles at American bases in Bahrain and Kuwait. The escalation ran through one stretch of water: the Strait of Hormuz.

It started with ships. On June 25 an Iranian drone hit the Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged cargo ship, as it left the strait along the Omani coast. The bridge was damaged. No one was hurt. Two days later a projectile struck the Kiku, a Panama-flagged tanker, in the same waters. Again the bridge took the damage, again the crew was unharmed.

The United States hit back. American forces struck Iranian military sites after the Kiku was attacked. Then came June 28, and Iran's strikes on the US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait.

The shipping side of this is already visible. After the Ever Lovely attack, the UN's maritime agency paused its plan to escort stranded ships out of the strait. Owners and crews who had been waiting for a way through were left waiting again.

The Strait of Hormuz is narrow, and there is no easy detour. A large share of the world's seaborne oil moves through it. When the shooting reaches the shipping lane, the whole route feels it, and the people watching it most closely are the ones with a vessel somewhere inside it.

For background on shipping through this region, read about the Strait of Hormuz’s role in sea trade, how shipping routes change during conflicts, and tracking oil tankers on MarineRadar.