US Launches Strikes on Iranian Targets After Merchant Ships Attacked

The United States launched a series of strikes against Iranian targets early Wednesday after three merchant ships were struck in waters off Oman. In a statement, US Central Command (CENTCOM) blamed Iran for the attacks and said the strikes were intended to impose "heavy costs" on Tehran for targeting "innocent civilians in an international waterway. " "US Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway," CENTCOM posted on its social media handle. A US official told CNN that the strikes on Tehran were intended as "punishment, not proportional" and would continue for some time. "The US strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire," it added. Reacting to the strikes, Iran said it would take any measure it deemed "necessary" to safeguard its national security. Tehran also accused Washington of breaching the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries. The strikes came shortly after the United States revoked a license that had authorised the sale of Iranian oil for 60 days as part of the interim deal to end the fighting between the US and Iran. The license revocation came hours after the three tankers were struck by projectiles. 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. According to a US official, the license was revoked because Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz were "unacceptable and needed to be met with consequences." The Iranian foreign ministry condemned Washington's move to revoke the license, 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 wrote in a post on X that the new attacks by the US are a violation of that agreement.