U.S. aircraft attacked missile and drone depots, as well as coastal radar stations. According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the operation was in response to an attack on the Singaporean cargo ship M/V Ever Lovely, which was passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Iran’s actions threaten freedom of navigation in a vital international trade corridor,” the CENTCOM statement said.
According to U.S. President Donald Trump, the Iranian military launched four drones at the ship. One of them struck the upper deck, causing damage, but the ship continued on its way. Three other drones were shot down. Trump called the incident a “stupid violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
According to Axios, citing sources, U.S. strikes targeted locations in the Strait of Hormuz area.
Meanwhile, Iran reported a series of attacks in the south of the country. The Mehr News Agency claims that shortly before the U.S. operation, Iranian forces fired warning shots at “violating vessels” in the Strait of Hormuz and launched several missiles toward the strait. Later, the agency reported that a shell had struck the area near the port of Tahroi in Hormozgan Province.
The state-run Press TV channel stated that two projectiles struck a television tower near the city of Sirik. The day before, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had attacked a Singaporean merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the newspaper, Iranian naval forces had previously warned commercial vessels not to use routes not approved by Tehran.
This new escalation occurred less than a week after the United States and Iran signed the Islamabad Memorandum, which called for a cessation of hostilities, the launch of negotiations on the nuclear program, and the restoration of safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
No official information on casualties following the U.S. strikes has been reported yet.
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