US Central Command announced a fresh series of strikes against more than 80 Iranian sites on July 7, 2026, citing Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as the trigger. CENTCOM characterized those maritime attacks as a direct violation of a ceasefire, escalating what has become an ongoing military campaign that has stretched across multiple months in 2026.
What happened and why it matters
The July 7 operation is not an isolated incident. Previous rounds of strikes occurred on June 27 and June 10, both targeting Iranian military infrastructure. Going further back, the 2026 Iran conflict reportedly began in earnest around March, with thousands of targets struck across the months since.
The pattern has already played out twice this year. When strikes were announced in May 2026, Bitcoin dropped below $73,000, triggering nearly $1 billion in liquidations as leveraged long positions were forcibly closed. A separate wave of May strikes pushed Bitcoin further toward the $63,000 range, with millions more in forced liquidations stacking on top of the first round.
The geopolitics behind the market moves
