Summary: Iran has retaliated against U.S. and Israeli military actions by launching attacks on American targets and commercial shipping in the Middle East. This includes drone and missile strikes on military sites and at least three separate attacks on vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil route. Iranian officials have implied responsibility for some ship attacks, warning that passage through the strait requires Iran's permission.
Main Topics Covered:
1. Iranian retaliatory strikes against U.S. targets in the Middle East.
2. Attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
3. The economic and strategic significance of the Strait of Hormuz.
4. Escalating tensions and military actions between Iran, the U.S., and Israel.
Iran War Maps: Tracking the Mideast Conflict
Maps show where U.S. and Israel have struck Iran, and where Iran has retaliated.
Major developments — March 11
Iran has responded to the U.S.-Israeli assault on the country by launching drones and missiles at American targets across the Middle East, hitting embassies, killing U.S. soldiers, and damaging military bases and air defense infrastructure.
The New York Times has identified at least 17 damaged U.S. sites and other installations, several of which have been struck more than once since the war began. Our analysis is based on high-resolution, commercial satellite imagery, verified social media videos and statements by U.S. officials and Iranian state media.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAt least three ships were hit on Wednesday in and around the vital oil route of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a British maritime monitoring group, as the Middle East war chokes off one of the key conduits for the global oil trade.
Iran appeared to claim responsibility for at least one of the attacks. Alireza Tangsiri, the naval commander in Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps, named one of the ships that was struck, the Mayuree Naree, in a post on social media, saying they had “ignored the warnings” from Iran, and “ended up getting caught.”
He added: “Any vessel that intends to pass must obtain permission from #Iran.”
The incidents came after the U.S. military said it struck 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz — though it remained unclear whether any Iranian mines had actually been deployed there.
There were three separate reports, according to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British monitoring agency. Iran fired at targets across the Middle East on Wednesday, but did not explicitly claim responsibility for the strikes on the ships.
Three strikes on ships in a single morning appeared to represent an unusual uptick: The U.K.M.T.O. said it had received reports of 13 attacks in total since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on Feb. 28.
One cargo vessel was struck “by an unknown projectile” north of Oman in the Straits of Hormuz, resulting in a fire onboard, the agency said. The Oman News Agency said the country’s Maritime Security Center received a report indicating that the Mayuree Naree, a commercial vessel flying the flag of Thailand, was hit off the Omani coast.
“The targeting resulted in a fire breaking out in the main engine room,” the news agency said.
The ship’s stern was damaged while sailing, after it departed from the port of Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates, according to a statement from the Thai foreign ministry. Oman’s navy rescued 20 of the ship’s 23 crew members, and efforts were underway to rescue the remaining three, the statement said.
A second vessel sustained damage from a suspected projectile early on Wednesday, some 25 miles northwest of Ras al Khaymah in the United Arab Emirates, according to U.K.M.T.O. All crew members were safe and accounted for, the agency said.
A third ship, a bulk carrier, was also hit on Wednesday, some 50 miles northwest of Dubai in the U.A.E., the agency said. The crew remained safe, and authorities were investigating, the agency said.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, an official news agency, shared images on social media on Wednesday showing smoke billowing from ships, with a caption saying that it showed “the consequence of unauthorized passage through the Strait of Hormuz.” It was not immediately clear whether the ships had been targeted or when the images were taken.
Iran’s barrage of missiles and drones has hit both civilian and military infrastructure in countries across the Middle East. Iran had threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the U.S. and Israeli military strikes, using the chokepoint as leverage to pressure its adversaries and signal its readiness to escalate.
The attacks pose a major challenge to global shipping because of the strait’s economic importance. The 90-mile-long waterway is one of the world’s most important energy shipping lanes, carrying about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas to and from the Persian Gulf.
Sanam Mahoozi, Aaron Boxerman and Sui-Lee Wee contributed reporting.
Nearly 700,000 people have been driven from their homes in Lebanon, as Israel continued its wide-scale bombing campaign, including southern Beirut. U.S.-Israeli bombing also continued in Iran, and fighting has slowed ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for about one-fifth of the world’s oil. Here’s how the day unfolded.
Major developments — March 10
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTIsrael and the United States continued to pummel Iran, and Iran once again launched missiles and drones at its neighbors. Turkey said NATO defenses shot down a ballistic missile launched from Iran. Israeli forces have pushed into southern Lebanon and bombarded Hezbollah strongholds. Here’s how the day unfolded.
Major developments — March 9
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of the country’s slain supreme leader, as his father’s successor, according to a statement from top clerics published on state media. His ascension, announced early Monday morning, signals the government’s desire for continuity as Iran faces expanding attacks from the United States and Israel nine days into the war.
Major developments — March 8
The U.S. and Israeli militaries continued to bombard Iranian military targets and energy facilities. Water desalination plants also came under attack in Iran and on the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain over the weekend, as strikes on civilian infrastructure threatened to affect the lives of millions of people.
American employees of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia have been told to leave the country under mandatory departure orders issued by the State Department, according to current and former U.S. officials, indicating that American officials are aware of growing risks in the region. It is the first time the agency has approved or issued what it calls an ordered departure since the U.S.-Israel war on Iran began on Feb. 28. Here’s how the day unfolded.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTU.S. and Israeli airstrikes continued to pound central Iran and its capital on Saturday, including attacks on Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport and nearby oil depots. Israel also struck Beirut and eastern Lebanon.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said it had launched a wave of strikes on American and Israeli targets, as officials in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates reported that they had intercepted Iranian missiles and drones. Here’s how the day unfolded.
Major developments — March 7
A week into their war on Iran, the United States and Israel have attacked a vast array of targets — about 4,000 in all — from the land, air and sea.
The bombing campaign, one of the most intense periods of strikes involving U.S. forces in decades, reveals a broad strategy. The United States and Israel are seeking to loosen the grip of Iran’s repressive security and intelligence services and possibly topple its authoritarian government. They are also trying to eliminate Iran’s ability to produce and launch missiles, to seriously degrade its navy and to prevent the country from being able to produce nuclear weapons.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTThe Iranian naval forces have suffered heavy losses in the first week of U.S. and Israeli strikes, according to a New York Times analysis of satellite data and videos. At two bases, Iran lost at least seven moored ships, along with critical naval infrastructure, and the entrance to an underground naval facility in the Strait of Hormuz was hit. But challenges remain for U.S. and Israeli forces seeking to neutralize it completely.
So far, the strikes have heavily targeted Iran’s regular navy, known as The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, which operates conventional warships. The country also has a second navy, run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that specializes in asymmetric warfare.
In addition to traditional warships, some of which were destroyed this week, the Guard’s fleet includes lighter assets, such as large numbers of speedboats and uncrewed vessels that can be harder to target. The Revolutionary Guard navy is primarily responsible for securing the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. The United States would need to degrade it further, along with other threats, to make the Strait fully navigable again.
The Israeli military said it had launched a broad wave of strikes at Tehran early Saturday. Soon after, Iranian state media said Israeli strikes had hit the area near Mehrabad Airport in Tehran.
Footage shared on state media showed multiple explosions and columns of smoke rising into the night sky.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTIsraeli officials said on Friday that their forces had destroyed an underground bunker that had been used by Iran’s supreme leader before he was killed last week, part a fresh wave of heavy strikes on Tehran. The Israeli military also pounded the southern outskirts of Beirut. Iran launched a wave of drones and missiles at Tel Aviv, though there were no immediate reports of major damage. Iran also targeted U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf. Here’s how the day unfolded.
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