US strikes targets in Iran over 'continued aggression' against shipping
US Central Command confirmed strikes on multiple Iranian targets on Saturday in retaliation for a drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States Central Command (Centcom) has confirmed that it conducted strikes against multiple targets inside Iran on Saturday, describing the action as a direct response to what it called Iran's continued aggression against commercial shipping. The strikes targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities, according to a Centcom statement.
The operation followed retaliatory strikes on Friday, which were launched after a drone attack on the cargo vessel M/V Ever Lovely. Centcom stated that Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but chose not to, instead launching a one-way attack drone at 4:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. The drone struck the Panama-flagged tanker M/T Kiku, which was transiting near the Strait of Hormuz carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil.
Despite the strikes, the US military said it would continue to enforce the fragile ceasefire with Iran, even as disagreements persist over Iran's nuclear program, tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran's ballistic missile program. Centcom confirmed that commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz continue, and that US forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready.
