US launches strikes on Iran after tankers hit in Strait of Hormuz
The US has launched a series of powerful strikes against Iran in response to attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Centcom said the strikes were a response to Iranian attacks on international shipping.
The United States has carried out a series of powerful strikes against Iran, retaliating for attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command (Centcom) announced on Tuesday that it had begun the assault, stating it aimed "to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent individuals in an international waterway." Iran's deputy foreign minister called the US strikes a violation of the US-Iran memorandum signed last month and warned that Tehran would "take decisive measures."
The tankers were damaged within a 24-hour period on Monday and Tuesday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO). No casualties were reported. A US official responded by saying Iran would face consequences, calling the attacks "wholly unacceptable." Qatar and Saudi Arabia also condemned the attacks, each claiming that a tanker from its country had been hit while transiting in or near the strait, and blamed Iran.
In a statement on Tuesday night, Centcom posted on X that the strikes were "in response to Iranian attacks." "Iran's demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire," it said. Earlier on Tuesday, the US Treasury revoked a sanctions waiver that had temporarily lifted oil sanctions on Iran. The licence, which authorized Iran to sell oil and petrol products, was part of the memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran last month.
Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari held Iran "fully responsible" for an apparent targeted attack on the vessel Al-Rekayyat near the strait. Qatar demanded that Iran "immediately cease all practices that undermine regional security" and "refrain from endangering global energy supplies." Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said Iran had targeted its tanker Wadyan as it crossed the strait, calling the assaults "an attack on the security and safety of international navigation and the security of global energy supplies." Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei described Qatar's accusations as "contrary to the principle of good neighbourliness."
