Iran launched an attack on facilities supporting US naval operations in Oman, turning what had been a simmering regional standoff into an outright military confrontation with one of its own Gulf partners.
The Strait of Hormuz, which sits right next to Oman, handles a massive share of global oil transport. When that chokepoint gets threatened, everything from crude prices to risk assets starts moving fast.
A conflict months in the making
This attack didn’t come out of nowhere. Iranian military activity against US assets in the Gulf region has been escalating steadily since at least May 2026.
Around June 5, 2026, Iranian state media claimed their forces launched missile and drone strikes on US destroyers, specifically DDG-103 and DDG-87, in the Sea of Oman. US Central Command dismissed those claims as false.
