The U.S. military has launched a series of strikes against Iran, U.S. Central Command announced Tuesday, stating that the operations were in direct retaliation for Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the day.
“U.S. Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping,” a U.S. military statement said. “Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire,” it added.
While American officials did not immediately specify the exact targets, Iranian state media reported that six projectiles struck the area of the Taheroui pier in Sirik, located in southern Iran.
This major military escalation comes just hours after Washington revoked a temporary sanctions waiver that had allowed Iran to export crude oil through August 21.
The U.S. Treasury pulled the license following drone and projectile attacks near the coast of Oman that damaged three commercial tankers, including a Qatari liquefied natural gas carrier.
Tehran has vehemently opposed an Omani proposal to create an alternate transit corridor bypassing Iranian maritime oversight, insisting on its right to levy transit fees on vessels passing through the narrow chokepoint.
This development marks the first direct U.S. military strikes against Iranian territory since late last month, when a period of intense, multi-day strikes and counterstrikes between the two nations threatened to collapse a fragile, 14-point memorandum of understanding. The sudden return to open hostilities severely undermines recent indirect diplomatic talks hosted by Qatar and shatters a brief week of relative calm in the vital global energy corridor.