US, Iran exchange fire as IRGC claims Strait of Hormuz closure until 'end of interference'

Missiles were launched toward Qeshm Island, a strategic Iranian island near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media Sunday.

No casualties from the missile attack, aIran’s IRNA news agency reported.

Several explosions east of Bandar Abbas and in the coastal area of Qeshm, according to Reuters.

The U.S. military conducted several strikes targeting Iranian missile and air defense systems, according to Axios.

U.S. forces also reportedly targeted IRGC small boats at several locations around the Strait of Hormuz.

Reuters contributed to this report.

An autopsy would be appropriate for late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., after his office called the death came from a "sudden and brief illness," according to former acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell on Sunday.

“I think America deserves to know exactly what the circumstances are,” Grenell told “The Sunday Briefing.”

Grenell was asked about online speculation surrounding Graham’s death, including whether a foreign adversary could have been involved.

"I think that there'll be time to to look at that; hopefully there'll be an autopsy," Grenell told host Peter Doocy. "He was a very serious U.S. official, a high-ranking U.S. official."

Grenell, who was a close friend, said he knew Graham has "had some health challenges, so I'm not as concerned about what others are thinking."

"But I think it's a very appropriate move to have an autopsy and to make clear and transparent exactly what happened," Grenell concluded.

President Donald Trump will not end the war with Iran until Tehran gives up its nuclear ambitions and stops threatening the Strait of Hormuz, according to Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., on Sunday.

“President Trump has been very clear that he’s going to finish the job,” Banks told “Fox News Sunday,” saying the "kid gloves" are off with Iran's nuclear weapons ambition.

“The United States of America is not going to let Iran get away with ever having a nuclear weapon, especially on Donald Trump’s watch.”

No more "footsie," according to Banks.

"President Trump is doing what no other president has done before: He's negotiating from a position of strength instead of what we've seen from Obama and Biden and other presidents who have played footsie with Iran," he said.

"They have treated them with kid gloves and appeased them and let them get away with these actions that President Trump has said he will no longer allow them to get away.

"It is in the best interest of America and the rest of the world that Iran never have a nuclear weapon because we know what they will do with it. They will point it at us and at our allies and President Trump will go down in history for being the United States president that. That did what was everything that was possible to stop Iran from achieving that."

Ongoing military pressure will force Tehran back to the table, Banks vowed.

“They’re going to feel the pain,” Banks said. “They’re going to come back to the table and beg President Trump to stop the strikes.”

China has its fingerprints on Iran and other U.S. adversaries, according to Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., on Sunday.

“They are a bad actor in the region, but they portray themselves as a neutral party,” Moolenaar, told “Sunday Morning Futures.”

“I believe that they are helping both Iran and Russia,”

Moolenaar, who chairs the House Select Committee on China, said Beijing is buying large amounts of energy from both countries and supplying dual-use equipment that can support civilian or military needs.

“Drone parts, other technology they are supplying to these adversaries,” he said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., remained focused on U.S. foreign policy until the end, including the need for a strong and steady approach to Iran.

“He was working about improving relations with Israel" and "focusing on what was going on in Iran and the need to have a strong policy position that was consistent with Iran," Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told “The Sunday Briefing.”

"And then finally, his concern that Russia was playing us all the way."

Graham was urging the Senate to do "everything that we could do to make sure that the Russia sanctions bill passed the United States Senate and the United States House, and it was one that the president could work with to really put pressure on Mr. [Vladimir] Putin.”

Graham as a close ally of President Donald Trump and a key voice in the Senate on foreign affairs.

“He was focused on the long-term successes of our country and on our foreign policy,” Rounds said.

Israel is ready to rejoin military action against Iran if Washington asks as it works to strip Tehran’s influence from Lebanon, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Dr. Michael Leiter said Sunday.

“If the United States calls on us to rejoin kinetic activity against Iran, we’re going to be there for the United States,” Leiter told CBS's “Face the Nation.”

President Donald Trump has been consistent in pursuing diplomacy with Iran when possible, but said Tehran violated the core condition of a recent memorandum of understanding (MOU) by threatening the Strait of Hormuz, according to Leiter.

“When the United States signed the MOU with Iran just a few weeks ago, there was one item, just one thing that the Iranians had to fulfill, and that was keeping the straits open,” Leiter said. “And that they’ve completely ignored.”

Leiter said he leading Israel’s negotiations with Lebanon, describing the talks as an effort to remove Iran and Hezbollah from the country’s security equation.

“Iran is not to be involved in Lebanon,” Leiter said. “They have no business in Lebanon, Hezbollah has no business in Lebanon.”

Leiter said Israel and Lebanon share an interest in dismantling Hezbollah, adding that Israeli forces can withdraw once the Iranian-backed group is removed as a threat.

President Donald Trump and the U.S. Central Command are controlling the Strait of Hormuz, not Iran or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz.

The Strait of Hormuz is "open as Central Command has said," Waltz told "Sunday Morning Futures." "And most of the targets that we've hit the last several nights have been directly aimed at Iran's radar sensors, drones and missile batteries right there on the strait – to eliminate and degrade their ability to attack the the global economy.

"So we're going to take that leverage off the table, our great military and continue to do that."

President Donald Trump's peacemaking in the Middle East is breaking through in unprecedented ways, according to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz on Sunday.

"We have more talks going on in Lebanon; we're taking that off the table, too," Waltz told "Sunday Morning Futures" of reducing Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz and its ability to fund terrorist proxies in the Middle East.

"For the first time, perhaps ever, the Israeli government, the Lebanese government, are working together to eliminate and disarm Iran's proxy Hezbollah.

"We've completely flipped the script there.

"We're taking the leverage off the table."

President Donald Trump's memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran was always "performance based," but Iran has failed to keep the peace under its terms, according to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz said Sunday.

"The president was always clear that this MOU was performance based, that he wasn't just going to be absolutely wedded to a deal, no matter what, that Iran had to live up to its end of the bargain," Waltz told "Sunday Morning Futures."

"It continues to violate basic tenets of international law that we deal with here at the United Nations. You can't throw sea mines in international waterways. You can't just indiscriminately attack civilian shipping. If you don't get your way, you can't hold the world's economy hostage. The president is not going to stand for it. and he made that very clear.

"There will be consequences if Iran continues to not only violate the deal."

The U.S. and IRGC are exchanging strikes, but technical talks on Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions are ongoing, including inspections, enriched uranium and the future of Tehran’s enrichment program.

“Around the world, we're turning the screws on the economy, and President Trump will ensure Iran never has a nuke,” Waltz told “Sunday Morning Futures.”

Despite the recent strikes and warnings over the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear talks remain underway, according to Waltz.

"It's worth noting that technical negotiations around the nuclear program, President Trump has always been most focused on that are continuing, in terms of inspections, in terms of what to do with the highly enriched uranium, the enrichment program: Those pieces are continuing," he added.

"But we are not going to stand for these attacks on civilian ships. the President Trump has hit back. He's hit back proportionally. But, as you know, at the end of the day, Iran is going to pay the price."

The U.S. will keep the Strait of Hormuz open, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker warned Sunday.

“The United States of America’s position is that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open,” Whitaker told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding was “performance-based,” with one clear condition: “Iran cannot terrorize commercial vessels transiting the strait,” Whitaker stressed

President Donald Trump responded after three ships were attacked by hitting 90 Iranian military targets, then ordered strikes on “140 or more targets” after another ship was attacked, according to Whitaker.

“That’s what they should expect,” Whitaker said.

Trump still wants a deal with Iran and wants to ensure Tehran never obtains a nuclear weapon, but added the U.S. will remain “clear-eyed on the threats” as attacks continue in and around the key shipping corridor.

The death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., leaves a major foreign policy void in the Senate as the U.S. confronts Iran and other global threats, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said Sunday.

“The hole that Lindsey Graham left in the Senate cannot be filled,” Scott told “Fox News Sunday.”

“It will need many of us to step up to the plate and take on the responsibilities that he had from a global perspective.”

Scott said Graham’s commitment to foreign policy was rooted in keeping America strong and Americans safe.

“His commitment to international affairs was for one purpose: to make sure America remained the most dominant country on the planet,” Scott said.

Graham, a longtime defense hawk and advocate for U.S. military strength, died after what his office described as a brief and sudden illness. His death comes as the U.S. and Iran are exchanging strikes and Washington is working to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.

Scott said Graham understood the stakes of U.S. leadership abroad and pushed colleagues hard when he believed American interests or allies were on the line.

“He was loud and obvious and sometimes even obnoxious because he understood that he had the power of a microphone to make a difference, not for himself, but for others,” Scott said.

Lawmakers should honor Graham by ensuring U.S. troops have “the resources and the weaponry necessary to do their jobs,” Scott concluded.

The Strait of Hormuz remains open despite Iran’s claim that it has closed the vital waterway, President Donald Trump said Sunday.

“It’s open,” Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” when asked whether Iran or CENTCOM was right about the status of the strait. “We bombed the hell out of them last night.”

Trump said he did not want to dwell on Iran while discussing the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., but briefly described the latest escalation as the result of Tehran’s bad faith.

“We had meetings with them for the last day,” Trump said. “Agreed to a deal yesterday. A perfect deal for us. No nuclear. No this. No that, no nothing. They gave up everything.”

Then Iran launched an attack shortly after leaving the room, according to Trump.

“Then within an hour, they launched a drone and a ship,” he said. “I said, you people are sick. You’re sick people.”

U.S. Central Command said the Strait of Hormuz remains open Sunday, rejecting Iran’s claim that it can close or control the vital international waterway with threats and strikes.

"The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit the international waterway," CENTCOM wrote Sunday moring on X.

"U.S. forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations. Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing."

Oman summoned Iran’s ambassador to protest attacks on its territory, the country’s foreign ministry said Sunday morning.

The diplomatic protest comes after Oman reported that sites in its Musandam region were targeted by drones Sunday as Iran widened its retaliation across the Gulf.

The move is significant because Oman has served as a key mediator in efforts to contain the U.S.-Iran conflict and preserve maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz.

Oman’s protest adds to the regional backlash against Tehran after Iranian-linked strikes targeted or threatened sites in Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the Gulf, while commercial shipping near Oman has also come under attack.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., as a steadfast defender of the U.S.-Israel alliance, saying his support reflected the broader stakes of American leadership as the Iran war tests the region.

“It takes people like Lindsey Graham to keep that alliance going,” Netanyahu told Sunday's "Fox & Friends," calling Graham “clear,” “candid” and “encouraging.”

Netanyahu said Graham understood that America’s role in the world remains essential, arguing that without U.S. leadership, “there would be no liberty in the world.”

"Lindsey Graham had it right: He knew that, in fact, if the Middle East were to collapse, to fall into the hands of Iran, which is now trying, has tried to do that, or the fall of American enemies, your, energy costs would skyrocket and would never come down. You'd be under perpetual blackmail of these tyrannical terrorist regimes.

"They would develop nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them to every American city. He saw that as something that is not only economically strangling. It could actually it could actually extinguish your lives. So he was he talked about that with me many times. It wasn't something that he put out as a as a spin.

"He believed it. And you know what? He was absolutely right."

The Israeli leader cast the U.S.-Israel partnership as rooted in shared democratic values, individual rights and a commitment to human life.

He contrasted that alliance with Iran’s regime, saying Israel and the U.S. “stand for something else.”

“We’re the only democracy in the Middle East,” Netanyahu said. “We represent individual rights. We value every human life.”

Netanyahu said Graham’s backing was not just political but personal, adding that his encouragement “went right to my heart.”

Iraq’s prime minister is set to visit Washington on Monday as Baghdad looks to deepen ties with the United States and secure new oil and gas agreements amid the widening U.S.-Iran conflict.

"The agreements to be signed will include several memorandums of understanding in the oil and gas sector as Iraq prepares to bring in various U.S. companies that will provide momentum to increase oil production capacity," government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi said.

Iraq is also seeking alternative export outlets to reduce its exposure to disruptions.

Like other Gulf producers, Iraq has been hit by lower oil revenue as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the key shipping route Iran claims it has closed during the war.

Al-Aboudi said strengthening Iraq’s armed forces will also be discussed in Washington.

The visit comes as Baghdad tries to balance its relations with neighboring Iran and the United States. U.S.-Iraq ties have been strained at times over the presence of American troops, Baghdad’s relationship with Tehran and U.S. pressure to curb Iran-backed armed groups.

The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) said Sunday that the southern route through the Strait of Hormuz remains open, despite Iran’s proclamation that the key waterway is closed.

"The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway and is not subject to coercion orcontrol by any single nation," the advisory concluded with a U.S. Naval Forces Central Command statement. "Despite Iran’s claims that the Strait is closed, U.S. forces are prepared to maintain freedom of navigation and safeguard lawful commerce in accordance with international law.

"The southern route of the Strait remains open."

In a July 12 advisory, JMIC said the maritime security threat level in the strait remains "severe," but that the southern route is still available and has been expanded to handle two-way traffic.

The notice urged ship owners, operators and mariners to stay alert for VHF hailing from naval forces and to remain aware of a mine danger area in the traditional traffic separation scheme.

JMIC said vessels are strongly encouraged to coordinate with NAVCENT’s Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping office, known as NCAGS, for information on safe transit routes.

But the advisory stressed that coordination is not mandatory, ships may use the southern route without it, and there is no controlling authority or required fee for passage.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Sunday they targeted military sites across several Gulf states and Jordan, marking a sharp escalation in Tehran’s retaliation after recent U.S. strikes.

The Guards claimed they destroyed a command-and-control center and drone hangars in Jordan, targeted a U.S. radar site in Kuwait, attacked U.S. aircraft carrier support and refueling platforms in Oman, and destroyed a jet maintenance center and command facility in Qatar.

Qatar said three people, including a child, were injured by falling shrapnel.

Jordan’s state news agency said three missiles launched from Iranian territory landed in the country early Sunday, causing minor damage but no casualties.

Oman said sites in its Musandam region were targeted by drones, though it did not report whether there were casualties.

The United Arab Emirates said its defense systems engaged missiles and drones from Iran, while warning sirens sounded in Bahrain and explosions were heard in Doha.

The escalation also extended to maritime traffic. India said one of its nationals was missing after an attack on the commercial vessel GFS Galaxy off Oman’s coast. Ten other Indian crew members were rescued, according to India’s foreign ministry.

The strikes came after Tehran warned that any retaliation over the container ship incident would be met with a “severe response,” expanding the conflict’s reach across the Gulf and raising new concerns over regional security.

Reuters contributed to this report.

U.S. Central Command said it completed a third round of strikes against Iran on Saturday night, hitting about 140 military targets after what it described as another Iranian attack on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

The strikes used precision munitions launched from land- and sea-based fighter aircraft, drones and naval vessels, CENTCOM said.

The targets included missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks and coastal surveillance locations.

Over three nights, U.S. forces have struck more than 300 targets in Iran, according to CENTCOM, which said the campaign is aimed at weakening Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels moving through the strait.

CENTCOM said commercial traffic continues through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping corridor. Since early May, U.S. forces have helped facilitate the transit of more than 800 commercial vessels and 400 million barrels of crude oil through the waterway.

CENTCOM finished a third round of strikes on 300 targets, but the IRGC continues to strike vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and claims they will continue to come until "the end of US interference in this region."

Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned Sunday: “The era of one-sided deals is OVER. We told you: keep your word or pay the price.”

CENTCOM maintains commercial ships are still moving through the waterway, but the IRGC continues to threaten vessels and U.S. allies over attempts to close the Strait of Hormuz.

The latest exchange followed attacks on commercial vessels near Oman. Iran said it struck one ship that was traveling on an unapproved route and later disabled a second vessel.

India said one of its nationals was missing after an attack on the commercial vessel GFS Galaxy, while 10 other Indian crew members were rescued.

CENTCOM hit 140 Iranian military targets Saturday, bringing the total to more than 300 targets over three nights. The strikes were aimed at limiting Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships, officials said.

Iran responded by claiming attacks on military and support facilities in several Gulf states. Qatar said three people, including a child, were injured by falling shrapnel. Jordan reported minor damage but no casualties after three missiles landed on its territory, while Oman said drones targeted sites in Musandam.

Reuters contributed to this report.