This US Marine Corps handout photograph taken on July 16, 2026, by US Central Command Public Affairs reportedly shows an Iranian flag flying behind a US Marine from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit during a verification boarding aboard M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman. American forces boarded a ship in the Gulf of Oman on July 16 as part of the renewed blockade of Iran's ports that began earlier this week, the US military said. US Marines boarded the M/T Wen Yao "to ensure full compliance with the ongoing US naval blockade," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X.
Iran is fighting a "full-scale war" with the United States, its president said Monday, as Washington expanded its strikes across the Islamic republic including a city hosting a nuclear power plant.
Iran kept up its own attacks across the region in response, with its Revolutionary Guards announcing they had hit targets in Bahrain, Jordan and Syria, while Bahrain said Tehran had targeted its air navigation systems.
"The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war," said President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to a presidency statement.
He added that "we must be realistic and accept the natural consequences of this resistance."
