US launches strikes on Iran after tanker attacks in Strait of Hormuz
CENTCOM said it began airstrikes Tuesday after attacks on commercial ships, as Iranian media reported blasts in several southern locations.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
The US military said it launched airstrikes against Iran on Tuesday after attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway central to global energy shipments. Iranian media reported explosions in several southern locations, raising the risk of a wider clash around one of the world’s most sensitive maritime routes.
US Central Command said the operation was tied to Iranian attacks on three commercial ships that were passing through the strait. CENTCOM did not give further details in the reported statement about the targets of the strikes.
Iranian media reported blasts in the southern port city of Sirik, on Qeshm Island and in Bandar Abbas. Those locations sit near the Strait of Hormuz, where recent tanker incidents have already strained a fragile US-Iran understanding.
Iran points to June agreement
After the explosions, Iran’s foreign ministry said it held Washington responsible for the consequences of violating a memorandum of understanding agreed by the two countries in June. According to Al Jazeera, that arrangement required the United States to lift its naval blockade on Iran in exchange for Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States also agreed in late June to waive sanctions on Iranian oil for 60 days, according to Al Jazeera. On Tuesday, however, the US Treasury Department moved to end the temporary suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil sales after a series of attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz this week.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said a tanker caught fire off Oman on Monday after being hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian television reported claims that the LNG tanker was attacked after ignoring warnings, but Tehran did not directly claim responsibility for the strike.
Al Jazeera reported that neither CENTCOM nor Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commented on that incident. Reuters, citing sources, reported that a second vessel believed to be a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker was damaged in the strait when the IRGC fired missiles.
Warnings and retaliation threat
Reuters reported Tuesday that a US official described Iran’s attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz as wholly unacceptable and warned they would bring consequences. The reported warning came before CENTCOM announced the airstrikes.
Iran’s foreign ministry said in response that Tehran would take any step it considered necessary to protect the country’s interests and national security. The ministry’s statement did not specify what measures Iran might take.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a major chokepoint for energy supplies, and disruptions there can affect fuel costs, trade and economic planning well beyond the Gulf. The latest strikes and tanker incidents add new pressure to the June understanding that had briefly eased tensions over shipping and oil sanctions.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.