Day 119 of the WarFriday, June 26, 2026
Day 119 — Iran Fires Four Drones at Ships in Hormuz and Hits a Cargo Vessel; CENTCOM Strikes Iranian Missile and Drone Sites in Response; the U.S.-GCC Statement Clashes with Tehran's Reading of the MoU; an Iranian Cyber Suspect Is Arrested in Montenegro
Admin
Strait of HormuzMontenegro
CENTCOM Strikes Back — U.S. Hits Iranian Missile and Drone Sites
- CENTCOM states its forces conducted strikes against Iran on June 26 'as a powerful response to yesterday's attack on a commercial ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz,' with U.S. aircraft hitting Iranian missile and drone storage locations.source
- Early flash reports converge on the same event: N12, citing a U.S. official, says the American military struck in the area of the Strait of Hormuz, and WarMonitor reports the U.S. military just hit Iran near the strait.source
Drones on the Deck — Iran Attacks a Ship in Hormuz
Gulf & Naval- Trump says the Islamic Republic fired at least four one-way attack drones at ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, and that one drone 'solidly hit the upper deck of a large and very expensive Cargo Carrying Ship' — the first confirmed direct strike on a vessel since the MoU.source
- Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi warns on X that safe passage through Hormuz 'with ambiguous arrangements, parallel routes, or decision-making outside the considerations of the Islamic Republic cannot be guaranteed' — Tehran insisting the strait runs through it.source
- Reuters, citing South Korea's Oceans Ministry, reports eight more South Korean-managed vessels have exited Hormuz — traffic pushing out even as Iran's threats and the drone attack keep the strait perilous.source
The MoU Under Strain — U.S.-GCC Statement vs. Tehran's Counter-Reading
- In a June 25 Bahrain statement, the U.S. and GCC welcome the U.S.-Iran MoU but demand Hormuz reopen with no tolls and no Iranian control, keep sanctions relief conditional and reversible, and vow to keep Iran from ever going nuclear.source
- Iran's Foreign Ministry rejects that reading, saying what was agreed in paragraph five of the memorandum differs from the U.S.-GCC framing, while a Deputy FM insists safe passage 'cannot be guaranteed' without coordination with Tehran — the two sides now reading the same text apart.source
Cyber Reckoning — Iranian Suspect Arrested Over $3.4B in Damage
Global- Montenegrin police, working with the FBI, announce the arrest of a 39-year-old Iranian citizen accused of cyberattacks that caused roughly $3.4 billion in damage to U.S. infrastructure — another blow to Iran's cyber operations after the Handala commander's loss.source