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Timeline › 2026 › July › 12

July 12, 2026

2 entries on this date.

Trump ordered fifth round of Iran strikes near Strait of Hormuz, again defying war-powers resolution

On July 12, 2026, U.S. Central Command conducted a fifth distinct round of strikes on Iran, hitting drone, missile, and ammunition sites as well as surveillance and naval-operations facilities near the Strait of Hormuz at Sirik, Qeshm Island, Jask, and west of Bandar Abbas. President Trump directed the strikes, which CENTCOM said were meant to hold Iranian forces accountable and continue degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping through the strait, a day after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the strait closed and Iran reported strikes on Qeshm Island and explosions in Bandar Abbas.

USDA official pressed Forest Service for extra aircraft to fight small fire near his own ranch

Michael Boren, the USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment who oversees the U.S. Forest Service, repeatedly called regional and national Forest Service offices on July 12, 2026 to press for more aircraft on the 7-acre Cabin Creek Fire burning near his own Hell Roaring Ranch in Idaho's Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Six current and former Forest Service officials told the Washington Post the resulting response -- nine aircraft costing over $100,000 -- exceeded what a fire of that size typically draws, during a period of high national fire preparedness when other fires were competing for the same aircraft. USDA said Boren is expected to have regular contact with the agencies he oversees and denied he "pressured leadership or ordered more resources."