Rapid Alerts

MIDDLE EAST — The U.S. Department of State issued a Worldwide Caution on July 18 advising Americans worldwide, and especially in the Middle East, to exercise increased caution due to heightened tensions.

The alert states that the security environment remains complex with potential for unforeseen escalation, that U.S. diplomatic facilities including those outside the Middle East have been targeted, and that groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world.

MIDDLE EAST — U.S. forces launched a new round of airstrikes against Iran beginning at 6 p.m. ET on July 18. The action followed the deaths of two U.S. service members in Jordan the previous day and occurs alongside continued naval blockade enforcement in the region.

CENTCOM reported that on July 17 two U.S. service members in Jordan were killed in action and one remains missing as U.S. and partner forces responded to Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks.

CENTCOM: “U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) ended an evening wave of strikes against Iran at 9 p.m. ET on July 15.

U.S. forces struck Iranian command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten innocent mariners crewing commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM used precision munitions to hit targets in multiple locations including Bandar Abbas.

ARABIAN GULF — On July 15, CENTCOM forces disabled a Curacao-flagged oil tanker in the Arabian Gulf after it ignored multiple warnings while attempting to transit toward an Iranian port in violation of a naval blockade reimposed the previous day.

A short while later, U.S. forces launched a second wave of strikes targeting Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. Central Command: “TAMPA, Fla. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) completed an additional round of strikes against Iran at 10 p.m. ET, July 14, hitting dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas.

U.S. fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels launched precision munitions against Iranian missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, and coastal defense systems during the seven-hour wave to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping and civilian crews.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) via Iranian state-run media: "IRGC has announced that the second wave of Operation Nasr-2 struck multiple weapons storage facilities, a satellite communications hub, and US military housing in Bahrain."

MIDDLE EAST — During the five hour mission, U.S. forces struck military targets across Iran, including within Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas.

KUWAIT AND STRAIT OF HORMUZ — CENTCOM announced it would resume the naval blockade of Iranian ports on July 14 at 8 p.m. UTC (11 p.m. local Kuwait time) at the direction of the Commander in Chief.

On July 14, CENTCOM began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran. The command stated that these strikes will continue imposing costs on Iranian forces and reduce their capacity to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

STRAIT OF HORMUZ — U.S. Central Command forces began a third round of strikes against Iran on July 11 after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces attacked the Cyprus-flagged container ship M/V GFS Galaxy transiting the strait.

One civilian crew member is missing and the vessel sustained significant engine-room damage and an onboard fire that prevented it from continuing its journey.

SOMALIA On July 10, a day after Danab special forces of the Somali National Army, working with Jubbaland Security Forces, overran al-Shabaab positions in the Baqdaad area near Badhaadhe in Lower Juba, U.S. Africa Command released a statement disclosing an airstrike it had carried out against the group on July 8. The command had conducted four such strikes between July 3 and July 8.

U.S. Airstrike Operations

U.S. Central Command: "At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway."

MIDDLE EAST — President Trump stated on July 8 that the ceasefire with Iran is over from his perspective and that continued engagement constitutes a waste of time, following U.S. Central Command strikes launched the previous day against Iranian targets in response to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The three commercial vessels struck included the Marshall Islands-flagged Al Rekayyat, a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker owned and managed by Nakilat, the Saudi Arabia-flagged Wedyan owned by Bahri, and the Liberia-flagged Cyprus Prosperity.

Middle East Three commercial tankers were struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on July 7 in attacks that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the United States attributed to Iran, and U.S. Central Command announced it had struck more than 80 targets in southern Iran the same evening, the first exchange of fire in the waterway since a stand-down between American and Iranian forces took hold nine days earlier.

The strikes came as U.S. and Iranian negotiators continued talks under the framework the two governments signed June 17 to end Operation Epic Fury and reopen the strait to commercial traffic.

Strait of Hormuz, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) issued two warnings on July 7 reporting attacks on tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The Joint Maritime Information Center Update 068 listed three incidents on July 7, and raised the regional threat level for the Strait of Hormuz to SEVERE.

UKMTO Warning 081-26 Incident

CUBA — Cuba’s electrical grid collapsed on July 6, producing a total power failure across the country that began at 12 p.m. Eastern Time, the U.S. Embassy in Havana stated in its security alert.

The U.S. Embassy alert stated that Cuban state media reported the reason for the collapse and any timeline for restoring power remained unknown at the time the alert was issued.

STRAIT OF HORMUZ — A tanker traveling southbound was struck by an unknown projectile on its port side, causing a fire, approximately 8 nautical miles east of Limah, Oman.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations issued Warning 080-26 on Monday evening based on a report from the vessel master (ship Captain).

SOUTH PACIFIC — The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) launched a strategic missile carrying a dummy warhead from one of its nuclear-powered submarines on July 6 at 12:01 p.m. Beijing time.

The missile flew toward designated high-seas waters in the Pacific Ocean and landed precisely in the target area, according to Chinese Navy and Foreign Ministry.

RED SEA — The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) received a report on July 5 of a cargo vessel triggering a distress alert approximately 30 nautical miles southwest of Al Hudaydah, Yemen, stating it was under attack by unknown armed assailants.

The warning, issued at 7:19 a.m. UTC, lists local authorities as the source and provides no vessel name, flag state, cargo details, or post-alert status. No injuries or damage assessments appear in the report.

UKRAINE — The International Atomic Energy Agency reported on July 3 that the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant lost its connection to the 330 kV Ferosplavna-1 line, the 21st such loss during the military conflict.

The IAEA team on site was informed of and could hear military activity that caused the actuation of electrical protections on lines connecting the plant to the Ferosplavna-1 line, including one recently repaired during June’s ceasefire.

UAE — The United Arab Emirates Cyber Security Council announced July 3 that the national cybersecurity system contained a series of cyberattacks targeting entities in the financial sector.

The incidents involved attempts to compromise digital systems and critical technology infrastructure, conduct sophisticated phishing campaigns, exploit security vulnerabilities, and deploy software the council described as malicious.

DAMASCUS — An explosive device detonated inside a cafe on Al-Nasr Street in the al-Hijaz area of central Damascus on July 2, killing six people and injuring 22 others according to the latest update from Syrian health officials.

The blast occurred near the Palace of Justice, the main courthouse complex in the Syrian capital. Syrian state news agency SANA reported that the explosion was caused by an explosive device inside the cafe.

TULCEA COUNTY, ROMANIA — Romanian Ministry of Defense specialists destroyed an explosive charge from drone fragments through controlled detonation in Luncavița commune on June 30.

The Ministry received notification on June 29 after a local resident reported fragments near Rachelu village via the 112 Emergency Service.