Dubai, Jul 08: The US military launched new strikes against Iran early Wednesday, hours after three merchant ships were struck in the Strait of Hormuz, in the latest exchange of fire to threaten the interim deal to end the fighting between the two countries.
The strikes were expected to hit a variety of military sites and port facilities, US officials said.
The renewed attacks were sure to add to the difficulty of the negotiations aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme and reaching a permanent end to the war launched Feb 28.
In a statement posted to social media, US Central Command said American forces launched the strikes “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”
One US official said the military is targeting Iranian air defence systems, coastal surveillance systems, ground-to-air missiles as well as launch sites for anti-ship cruise missiles and drones. Iranian port facilities are also being targeted, that official added.
The second official said the strikes would likely last for hours.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing military operation.
Iranian state media reported the sound of explosions in Qeshm and Bandar Abbas.
A similar spate of Iranian attacks on shipping and US retaliation occurred late last month, while the new strikes were notable for happening while President Donald Trump was in Turkey for a summit of the NATO military alliance.
Hours after the three tankers were struck by projectiles, the United States revoked a licence that had authorised the sale of Iranian oil as part of the interim deal to end the fighting between the US and Iran.
The new assaults in the fuel-shipping waterway were the most in a single day since late April, according to the UN International Maritime Organization. The fresh attacks threatened to choke off the flow of traffic in the strait just as countries hoped to restore normal shipping practices and ease the global economic strain of the war.
A US official said the licence was revoked because Iran’s actions in the strait were unacceptable and needed to be met with consequences. The official spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to share insight into the reasoning behind the move.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the US move to revoke the licence, saying in a statement that it violates the interim deal and that “the US government bears responsibility for the consequences of this breach of commitment.”
Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, also said in a post on X that the new attacks by the US are a violation of that agreement.
One tanker caught fire after getting hit
One tanker was travelling off the coast of Oman when it was hit and caught fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said. Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.
The other two ships sustained some damage, but no one was injured, and both continued on their way, the UK maritime agency said.
Tehran, which has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe, is suspected of attacking other ships that have used another route close to the Omani shore.
Location details provided by the UK agency showed that all three attacks occurred off the coast of Oman or the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, making it likely that the ships were using the route near Oman.
In peacetime, a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the channel.
The licence issued by the US authorised the production, delivery and sale of Iranian oil through Aug 21. US Vice President JD Vance said at the time that lengthy talks with senior Iranian officials in Switzerland created a “good foundation for a successful final deal” to end the war.
US sanctions on the purchase of Iranian oil had been in place since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. After the U.S. and Israel launched the war, and after the closure of the strait, the US had authorised the temporary sale of Iranian oil at least twice as an incentive toward a deal.
Meanwhile, talks between Iran and the US appeared to be on hold until after the burial of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the war.
Qatar calls attack a violation of international law
One tanker was carrying liquid natural gas south through the strait near Limah, Oman, when a projectile hit the left-side engine room and sparked a fire, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre said.
Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat was targeted in an “unacceptable attack” on international navigation and global energy security. He called it a “serious and explicit violation” of international law.
In a post on X, he said Qatar holds Iran “fully legally responsible.”
Later Tuesday, the UK maritime agency reported that an oil tanker was hit on its left side as it exited the strait near the Omani-Emirati border. A third tanker was struck by a drone off Oman, the agency said.
The Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational body overseen by the US Navy, told shippers Monday that the route around Oman “has been expanded and remains available for all traffic.”
Ships going to the north on the Iranian route must register with Tehran. Those going south work with Oman and the US.
