US launches fresh strikes on Iran after attacks on commercial vessels in Strait of Hormuz
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The United States launched a new wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday in response to attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions despite a ceasefire agreement signed last month.
In a statement, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had "begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway."
CENTCOM said the operation was launched after Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and described Tehran's actions as "unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire."
A US official told Reuters the strikes targeted Iranian air defence systems, coastal surveillance facilities, surface-to-air missile systems, anti-ship cruise missiles and drone launch sites. Axios reported that the operation was several times larger than a similar exchange that took place late last month.
Iranian state media reported explosions and injuries in Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, and Sirik following the strikes.
The latest military action comes as the memorandum of understanding signed by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on June 17 faces its most significant test. Talks held in Doha last week ended without progress on the Strait of Hormuz issue.
Separately, the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control revoked Iran-related General License X, issued on June 21, and replaced it with General License X1, effective July 7. The new licence provides for the revocation and wind-down of the earlier authorisation covering the production, delivery and sale of Iranian crude oil, petrochemical and petroleum products.
The strikes coincided with funeral ceremonies for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which have drawn large crowds in Tehran, Qom and Najaf in Iraq. Trump is attending the NATO summit in Ankara.