The United States carried out new military strikes against Iran on Saturday, after Tehran launched a drone attack on another commercial vessel near the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command said.
The strikes followed what the US military described as an Iranian one-way drone attack on the Panama-flagged M/T Kiku oil tanker as it moved near the strategic waterway.
CENTCOM said US Navy and Air Force aircraft hit Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communications systems, air defence positions, drone storage facilities and mine-laying capabilities. It said Iran had been given an opportunity to respect the ceasefire agreement after earlier US strikes on Friday, but chose not to do so.
The latest escalation began Thursday, June 25, when the Singapore-flagged commercial vessel Ever Lovely was attacked off Oman’s coast. Iran did not acknowledge responsibility and did not deny involvement. US President Donald Trump called the incident “a foolish violation” of the ceasefire agreement.
Late Friday, CENTCOM said American aircraft struck missile and drone storage sites and radar facilities along Iran’s southern coastline. The US military said the action followed the ship attack and that American forces also intercepted three drones in what it described as a coordinated incident.
Iran said a projectile hit near a pier in Sirik, in southern Hormozgan province. Iranian port officials said the port was operating normally and that equipment had not been damaged.
Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it responded with attacks on US military installations in the region, but did not say what was hit. The IRGC warned that any repeated aggression would bring a response “more extensive than this.”
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it called an alleged Iranian drone attack on its territory, saying it endangered civilians and violated sovereignty. Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said a tanker was hit by an unidentified projectile on Saturday and that all crew were safe.
The latest US strikes on Iran are putting new pressure on a fragile June 15 memorandum meant to halt months of fighting and restore commercial shipping through a key energy route.
The dispute centers on navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Under the memorandum, Iran agreed to use its best efforts to allow commercial vessels through without charge for 60 days while future arrangements were discussed with Oman and Gulf states.
US Vice President JD Vance said Washington and Tehran had communication channels if they disagreed over the deal. “But violence will be met with violence,” he said.
