THE US attacked Iran early today over an Iranian strike on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz that set it ablaze and left one crew member missing.

Iran responded with attacks on several countries in the Middle East that host US military bases, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Oman.

The fighting raised new questions about the interim deal that Iran and the US reached on June 17, beginning a 60-day period aimed at reaching a permanent end to the war.

The strait, a key route for the global supply of fossil fuels and gas, has become the key sticking point in negotiations and fighting over the past week has left negotiations in danger of collapse.

Iran insists that it alone must control the strait and potentially charge vessels for travelling through it. The strait had been free and open to all ships to travel through before the US and Israel launched their unprovoked attacks on Iran in February.

“The era of one-sided deals is over,” Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament and a main negotiator, wrote on social media. “We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking.”

A Cyprus-flagged container ship was hit by Iran and suffered “significant engine room damage” on Saturday, the US Central Command said.

Oman’s maritime authority said it rescued 23 crew members but one was missing. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the missing man is an Indian national and it was working with Oman to locate him.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre said the ship had been hugging Oman’s shoreline.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said multiple vessels “disregarded our warnings” and ignored instructions to follow what it called an approved route. One “was struck by a warning shot and brought to a stop.”

Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers killed at least five Palestinians, including a nine-year-old girl, in Gaza today.

An Israeli drone strike on a blacksmith shop in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood killed at least four Palestinians and wounded another, according to officials at al-Shifa Hospital.

The Israeli military acknowledged striking the area, claiming it targeted “terrorist infrastructure,” without elaborating.

Also on Sunday, Israeli gunfire killed nine-year-old Tala Abu Matar in a displacement camp in central Gaza. The Israeli military claimed to be unaware of the incident.

The Israeli military has killed at least 1,098 Palestinians, including at least 260 children, since the supposed ceasefire between it and Hamas came into force in October 2025.