CENTCOM Initiates New Round of Strikes

In the coverage reviewed, U.S. Central Command, CENTCOM, announced the start of a new round of strikes against Iran, and several outlets wrote that the attacks came amid recent tensions. IranWire, citing Iranian media, reported several explosions in Hormozgan Province in the early hours of Monday, July 13. The Guardian wrote that Tehran said diplomacy had been “useless,” and Bloomberg also said the strikes took place on Sunday. In this set, some outlets focused on the political and economic consequences of the event, while others emphasized the U.S. official announcement of the new wave of attacks.

• IranWire wrote that Iranian media reported several explosions in Hormozgan Province in the early hours of Monday, July 13.
• IranWire added that these reports were published on the basis of media outlets affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including Fars.
• The Guardian reported that the U.S. had launched a new wave of strikes against Iran and that Tehran said diplomacy had been “useless.”
• Bloomberg wrote that the U.S. announced it had carried out a new round of strikes against Iran on Sunday.
• In one of its headlines, The National reported that the U.S. had begun a “new round of strikes against Iranian targets.”
• In another headline, The National placed the event within “Iran war” updates and reflected the same report with an emphasis on the renewed strikes.
• Newsdata wrote that the U.S. had launched a new round of strikes against Iran, as the Strait of Hormuz was closed once again.
• In one headline, Fox News wrote “It’s over” and reported that the U.S. had carried out a new wave of strikes and that Donald Trump said the Iran ceasefire deal was “over.”
• In another headline, Fox News linked the event to its impact on the oil market and reported a sharp jump in oil prices alongside the strikes.
• The Jerusalem Post wrote that CENTCOM had announced renewed strikes against Iran.. Coverage difference: Some outlets such as The Guardian, Fox News, and Newsdata, in addition to reporting the strikes, also emphasized their political, economic, or regional consequences, including claims that diplomacy was useless, that the ceasefire was over, that oil prices surged, and that the Strait of Hormuz was closed again. By contrast, Bloomberg, The Jerusalem Post, and The National focused more on the U.S. official announcement of the start of a new wave of strikes. There were also timing differences in the accounts: IranWire spoke of the early hours of Monday, July 13, while Bloomberg reported the strikes took place on Sunday.