Iran attacked three commercial vessels — a Qatari liquefied natural gas carrier, a Saudi-flagged oil tanker and a third tanker — transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with at least one using the U.S.-backed parallel route off the coast of Oman, AP reported on July 7. All vessels sustained damage, but no casualties were reported; the United States has not yet responded to the attacks.

Iran previously struck a commercial vessel on June 25 that was using the U.S.-backed route in Oman, resulting in days of exchanges between the United States and Iran around the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran's retaliation also targeted U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. Even though the United States and Iran engaged in indirect talks on July 1 in Doha, Qatar, the negotiations did not result in any major breakthroughs to address underlying tensions over the Strait of Hormuz.