Day 137 of the WarTuesday, July 14, 2026
Day 137 — The Naval Blockade Takes Hold with Over 20 Warships as a Five-Hour Strike Wave Rakes Six Coastal Hubs from Bushehr to Bandar Abbas and Trump Muses About Taking Kharg Island; Satellite Images Show Al Udeid Hit; India Summons Iran's Ambassador Over Its Dead Sailor; Oman Calls It a War That Should Never Have Happened; Treasury Guts Shamkhani's Empire
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Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar
Five Hours, Six Coastal Hubs — From Bushehr to Bandar Abbas, and Kharg Island on the Table
- CENTCOM completed its latest strike wave at 10:15 p.m. ET on July 13: a five-hour mission hitting military targets across Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa and Bandar Abbas — coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites and maritime capabilities — with over 50,000 U.S. troops now deployed in the region.source
- At 3 p.m. ET CENTCOM forces began launching yet another round of strikes to keep degrading the Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the strait, as American forces press the blockade.source
- Trump raises the stakes on Kharg Island, Iran's oil-export lifeline: 'We already hit Kharg Island as you know twice... as far as taking it is concerned, if we degrade them far enough and deep enough back, I would do that.'source
Squeezing the Money — Treasury Guts Shamkhani's Shipping Empire as Ahmadinejad Resurfaces
- The U.S. Treasury expanded sanctions against Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani's illicit shipping empire, designating over 50 individuals, entities and vessels tied to Iranian oil exports, containerized shipping and sanctions evasion, following Iran's renewed attacks.source
- Former Iranian president Ahmadinejad appeared at a memorial ceremony for Ali Khamenei — one day after the New York Times investigation, a pointed piece of timing noted by Open Source Intel.source
Iran's Counterpunch — Al Udeid Hit, a Message to Jordan, Nasr 2's Third Wave
US / Coalition- Satellite imagery appears to show an Iranian ballistic missile strike on an equipment warehouse at the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, per Open Source Intel — evidence that Tehran's salvos are reaching American infrastructure in the Gulf.source
- For the first time the IRGC issued a direct statement to the people of Jordan after striking a U.S. air base on Jordanian soil, framing it as the third stage of the second wave of its operation; IRGC footage shows a third wave of Operation Nasr 2 launching 'Kasir Khaybar' and 'Zulfiqar' drones and missiles.source
The Blockade Is On — More Than 20 Warships Seal Iran's Ports
- CENTCOM confirms U.S. forces resumed the naval blockade against vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas at 4 p.m. ET, with more than 20 U.S. Navy warships and hundreds of military aircraft now operating across the Middle East.source
- WarMonitor reports massive U.S. air force activity over the Strait of Hormuz and southern Iran through the night as the strikes continue without pause.source
India Summons, Oman Reassesses, Lula Cries 'Pirate' — and Trump Drops the 20% Fee
- India is reportedly furious at Iran and has summoned the Iranian ambassador after the attack on two ships in the Strait of Hormuz killed an Indian sailor, per WarMonitor — New Delhi dragged into the war by its dead and wounded crewmen.source
- Oman's foreign minister says long-held assumptions about Gulf security, including relations with the United States, should be reassessed, calling this 'a war that should never have taken place' and pledging Oman will work with Iran.source
- Brazil's President Lula called Trump a pirate over the planned 20% Hormuz shipping fee — and Trump backed off, saying kings and emirs offered billions in U.S. investment instead: 'I don't think anybody should be able to charge a fee for the strait.'source