Day 138 of the WarWednesday, July 15, 2026
Day 138 — A Naval Battle Rages in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. Blockade Returns and Two Vessels Are Turned Back; Three Strike Waves in a Day Hit Coastal Iran and Kill Dozens of Conscripts at the Bampour Barracks; CENTCOM Counts Seven Ships Attacked in a Week and Debunks the Hoveyzeh 'Wheat Facility' Claim; WSJ Says Trump Weighs Ground Troops on Kharg Island
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Strait of HormuzSouthern IranHaifa
Three Waves in a Day — From the Hormuz Coast to the Bampour Barracks
Iran- CENTCOM completed an additional round of strikes against Iran at 10 p.m. ET on July 14, with U.S. fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels hitting dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and along Iranian coastal areas.source
- The waves kept coming on July 15: at 6 a.m. ET CENTCOM forces began launching strikes designed to further degrade the capabilities used against commercial shipping, and at 3 p.m. a second wave targeted Iranian military assets threatening vessels transiting Hormuz.source
- Babak Taghvaee reports the U.S. Navy heavily struck the barracks of the Iranian Army's 388th Brigade in Bampour with BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles during the night's attacks, reportedly killing dozens of conscript soldiers.source
The Information Front — a Debunked 'Wheat Facility' and a Claimed Drone Kill
- CENTCOM branded FALSE the Iranian state-media claim that U.S. forces struck a civilian wheat storage facility in Hoveyzeh on July 14, stating the real targets were Iranian military sites in Bandar Abbas, Khormuj, Ahvaz, Qeshm, Tunb, and Bushehr.source
- IRGC-owned Tasnim News claims a surface-to-air missile system shot down an enemy 'Lucas' drone over Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan Province, per Shin — a rare air-defense success story amid the pounding of the coast.source
Battle at Sea — the Blockade Returns to Hormuz
Gulf & Naval- WarMonitor reports a large naval battle ongoing between the United States and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz — the war's fighting has moved squarely onto the water of the world's most contested waterway.source
- U.S. Central Command says that within 17 hours of restarting the naval blockade of Iranian ports its forces redirected two commercial vessels attempting to run it, with the military remaining 'vigilant and prepared to ensure full compliance.'source
- CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper says that over the past seven days Iran has intentionally targeted civilians across the region, attacking seven commercial ships and leaving nearly a dozen civilian crew members killed, missing, or injured.source
Kharg Island on the Table — Trump's Escalation Options and a Sanctions Net
- The Wall Street Journal, per WarMonitor, reports Trump is leaning toward expanding military operations against Iran — options include deploying U.S. ground troops to capture Kharg Island, strikes on nuclear facilities, or an intensified strike campaign.source
- Trump, speaking on regime change and the Islamic Republic, said of the Iranians: 'If they had guns, if they had weapons... I had no idea that they'd be willing to kill 52,000 or even any people,' per Open Source Intel.source
- The U.S. Treasury targeted an international IRGC weapons procurement network following Iran's attacks on commercial vessels in Hormuz, sanctioning seven individuals and entities across Iran, Russia, Nigeria, and Italy under Executive Order 13382.source
Three Months of Fighting — Michael Katz, 82, Dies of His Haifa Wounds
Global- After three months of fighting for his life, 82-year-old Michael Katz succumbed to his wounds from the direct Iranian missile strike on Haifa, Israeli journalist Noa Magid reports — 'may his memory be a blessing forever.'