Retraction. Starting in June 2026, The Fold published a storyline reporting that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was assassinated on February 28, that his son Mojtaba Khamenei was installed as his successor, and that a US-Iran war, ceasefire, and Doha diplomatic process followed — including in this article. We have found no independent, verifiable reporting supporting these specific claims. The storyline originated as an error in our automated drafting process: an early chapter generated these details without a real source, and later chapters treated the invented premise as established fact instead of catching the error. We do not have independent knowledge of Mr. Khamenei's actual status and are not asserting an alternative account — we are withdrawing our own reporting because we cannot stand behind it. See our corrections log.
Storyline 18 chapters

Strait of Hormuz Crisis

May 15 – July 3, 2026 Updated Jul 3

Every published chapter of The Fold's coverage of Strait of Hormuz Crisis, in one place — oldest to newest, updated as the story develops.

International

Ship seized off UAE and cargo vessel sunk off Oman as Hormuz tensions flare

A vessel anchored off the United Arab Emirates was boarded by unauthorised personnel and steered toward Iranian waters, while an Indian-flagged cargo ship sank off Oman after an attack. The incidents sharpened fears over the contested Strait of Hormuz.

International

Hormuz traffic falls near zero as US says it has redirected dozens of ships

Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to almost nothing as a dual blockade keeps the waterway effectively closed. US forces say they have redirected dozens of ships and disabled four since enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports.

International

U.S. strikes Iranian radar sites after drones launched toward Hormuz

U.S. forces shot down four Iranian attack drones headed toward the Strait of Hormuz and struck coastal radar sites at Goruk and on Qeshm Island, CENTCOM said Saturday. Iran also fired ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, further straining a fragile ceasefire.

International

Israel and Iran trade strikes, shaking two-month-old ceasefire

Israel struck about 15 targets in Iran on Monday after Tehran fired three waves of missiles at central Israel, the most serious escalation since an April 8 ceasefire. Yemen's Houthis also launched a missile as oil prices jumped.

International

U.S. Apache crew rescued by sea drone in first-ever drone water rescue off Hormuz

Two U.S. Army soldiers were pulled from the sea by an unmanned surface drone after their AH-64 Apache crashed near the Strait of Hormuz, the first water rescue of its kind by the U.S. military.

International

Iran strikes US bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain as Hormuz ceasefire unravels

Iran fired missiles and drones at US bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain after American strikes on some 20 targets near the Strait of Hormuz. Nearly all were intercepted, officials said.

International

India lodges 'strong protest' with US after three mariners die in tanker strike

India summoned a senior US diplomat after three Indian seafarers were killed when American forces fired on the tanker Settebello for breaching the blockade on Iranian oil in the Gulf of Oman.

International

US hits Iran with second wave of strikes as Tehran declares ceasefire 'meaningless'

US forces struck Iranian military targets for a second straight day Thursday, including 49 Tomahawks fired near Tehran, as Iran hit back at bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain and said the April ceasefire was dead.

International

Trump cancels Iran strikes as both sides say a peace deal is closer than ever

Trump called off planned strikes and said a signing could come within days; Iran's foreign minister said a deal has 'never been closer' but stressed nothing is final.

International

Trump says US-Iran deal to be signed Sunday, with Strait of Hormuz to reopen immediately

President Trump said an agreement ending the war with Iran will be signed Sunday, with the Strait of Hormuz reopening to all traffic right after. Iranian state media struck a more cautious note on the timing.

International

US-Iran deal 'now complete,' Trump says, lifting Strait of Hormuz blockade to end the war

Trump declared the US-Iran war deal 'now complete' on Sunday, ordering the Strait of Hormuz reopened and the US naval blockade lifted. A formal signing is set for June 19 in Switzerland.

International

US grants Iran 60-day oil license as sides spar over $12bn in frozen funds

Washington issued a 60-day waiver letting Iran sell oil internationally and the two sides agreed a 60-day roadmap to a final deal. But the US disputed Tehran’s claim it would unlock $12bn upfront.

International

US and Iran clash over nuclear inspections and $12bn in frozen funds

Washington and Tehran offered contradictory accounts of their Switzerland talks, disagreeing over whether Iran agreed to readmit IAEA inspectors and how $12 billion in unfrozen assets may be spent.

International

US strikes Iran after drone attack on cargo ship tests Hormuz ceasefire

US Central Command hit four Iranian missile, drone and radar sites on June 26 after an IRGC drone struck the cargo ship Ever Lovely in the Strait of Hormuz, the first American strikes since a shaky ceasefire was extended.

International

Iran strikes US Gulf sites in Kuwait, Bahrain as Hormuz truce teeters

Iran's Revolutionary Guard fired missiles and drones at US-linked targets in Kuwait and Bahrain early on June 28, retaliating for American strikes two days earlier and pushing a fragile 60-day ceasefire to the edge of collapse.

International

US and Iran arrive in Doha for talks, but Tehran rules out a direct meeting

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner went to Doha on Tuesday and an Iranian technical team traveled separately, but Iran said there would be 'no negotiations at any level' with Washington, leaving the fragile ceasefire's next step in Qatari mediators' hands.

International

US and Iran report 'positive progress' in Doha as talks pause for Khamenei funeral

Indirect US-Iran talks in Doha ended with a new communication channel and agreement to buy goods with frozen funds. The next round waits for Ali Khamenei's July 4-9 funeral rites.

International Latest

As Khamenei's funeral opens, the US-Iran ceasefire enters its most fragile stretch

Indirect talks are frozen for six days of funeral rites beginning July 4. A month after the June 17 memorandum, The Fold reconstructs how a signed deal survived US airstrikes, a near-collapse and a diplomatic pause — and what still is not settled.

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