# TLDR: 2026-07-13 (Day 136) Lead: THE BLOCKADE IS LIVE AND TRUMP JUST CLAIMED HORMUZ FOR AMERICA Compiled by a language model from that day's archived articles; analysis, not archive record. Page: https://iranwar.liminallayers.com/bulletins/tldr-2026-07-13/ Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); sources remain their publishers'. ## OVERVIEW The June MoU is dead and both sides are now enforcing competing claims over the Strait of Hormuz with live weapons. CENTCOM's naval blockade went into effect at 20:00 UTC, hours after Iran launched coordinated strikes on US military assets across four countries simultaneously. The question is no longer whether this is a war. It is how wide it gets. ## THE BLOCKADE IS LIVE AND TRUMP JUST CLAIMED HORMUZ FOR AMERICA CENTCOM's blockade covers all Iranian ports and oil terminals, while formally allowing neutral transit and humanitarian shipments subject to inspection. [2] The practical effect is different: vessel traffic through Hormuz is already down 52 per cent in three days [7], so the gap between "we're only blocking Iran" and "we've made the strait unusable" is closing fast. The wilder development is Trump's Truth Social declaration that the US is the permanent "Guardian of the Hormuz Strait" and will charge a 20 per cent transit fee on all cargo passing through it. [4] Iran has been demanding transit fees for months and Washington called that extortion. Make of that what you will. ## IRAN HIT FOUR COUNTRIES IN ONE DAY The IRGC struck Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan, Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, a HIMARS launcher position in Kuwait, and radar systems in Oman in a coordinated missile and drone wave. [11] Jordan confirmed intercepting four missiles; Bahrain sounded nationwide sirens; Kuwait confirmed aerial targets were engaged. Iran claims it destroyed two HIMARS launchers in Kuwait, which would be the most significant single-strike kill of the war, but that claim comes from Iranian sources only and CENTCOM has not confirmed it. [11] None of the four countries struck today are at war with Iran. They are collateral to someone else's conflict, and their populations are aware of that. ## THE US DEBUTED A NEW WEAPON: ATTACK SEA DRONES Three Corsair one-way attack sea drones hit the submarine and ship maintenance facility at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, the first time CENTCOM has used the platform in combat. [6] The physical damage matters less than the signal: Iran's coastal naval infrastructure, the foundation of its ability to threaten Gulf shipping, now faces an unmanned surface threat that is cheaper to field and harder to detect than manned vessels. Task Force 59 has been building toward this for months. [6] The US just opened a new domain in this war. ## US WEAPONS STOCKPILES ARE QUIETLY BECOMING A STRATEGIC CONSTRAINT Before the April pause, the Pentagon had burned through at least half its THAAD interceptors, nearly half its Patriots, and roughly 30 per cent of its Tomahawk inventory. [15] Replenishment runs at about 15 Tomahawks and 20 Patriots per month. No THAAD deliveries are scheduled for all of 2026, and Congress has appropriated zero supplemental funding to replace any of it. [15] The blockade resumption and new Iranian strike cycle mean those numbers are heading down again. Defence stocks are drifting lower, which sounds counterintuitive until you realize the market is pricing munitions depletion as a cap on war intensity, not a windfall for contractors. ## YEMEN MAY BE OPENING A SECOND ACTIVE FRONT Saudi Arabia struck Sanaa International Airport for the first time since 2021, targeting runways to prevent an Iranian Mahan Air flight from landing. [8] The Ansarallah-led Yemeni Armed Forces formally declared their de-escalation with Riyadh over and promised punishment. This is currently single-source from Ansarallah-aligned outlets and The Cradle, so hold it loosely, but the Saudi strike on the airport is confirmed across multiple outlets. [8] If the YAF follows through and Red Sea shipping heats up again alongside a blockaded Hormuz, the energy shock gets significantly worse and European capitals start looking at emergency measures. ## References 1. [JPM] The Jerusalem Post — Middle East: Renewed US blockade on Iranian ports in Strait of Hormuz closer pushes region closer to open war 2. [SPK] Sputnik: US to Begin Iran's Naval Blockade on July 14 at 20:00 GMT - Maritime Info Center 3. [TTM] Tehran Times: "Hormuz belongs to us, not foreigners," Iran says 4. [CRD] The Cradle: Trump declares US ‘Guardian of Hormuz,' vows to charge 20 percent transit fees 5. [BBM] BBC News — Middle East: US and Iran trade fire as tensions rise over Strait of Hormuz 6. [JPO] The Jerusalem Post: US uses one‑way attack sea drones against Iran for first time, CENTCOM says 7. [AAM] Anadolu Agency — Middle East: Hormuz vessel traffic drops 52% as ships switch to defensive routes 8. [CRD] The Cradle: Yemen declares end of de-escalation, vows to 'punish' Saudi Arabia over airstrikes on Sanaa airport 9. [AAM] Anadolu Agency — Middle East: Iran says to continue talks with Oman on managing Hormuz navigation 10. [CRD] The Cradle: Iraq, Syria, US working to rebuild Kirkuk - Baniyas Pipeline to bypass Hormuz 11. [AJE] Al Jazeera: New Iran strikes on Gulf as US attacks escalate: What we know 12. [GDN] The Guardian — Middle East: US launches new wave of strikes against Iran as Tehran says diplomacy has proven ‘futile’ 13. [JPO] The Jerusalem Post: Survivors of Iran's March attack on US base in Kuwait claim leadership ignored warnings - report 14. [GDN] The Guardian — Middle East: US congressman says ‘IDF is lying’ about his detention by settlers and soldiers 15. [CNN] CNN: Iran war heats up while US weapon stocks remain depleted, risking military’s ability to fight future wars 16. [APW] Associated Press: America In Focus: Fed officials divided on US inflation views; US home prices hit all-time high