US forces launched strikes against Iran on Tuesday after three commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz were attacked, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
US 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 said in a post on X.
"The US strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz," it added.
Explosions were heard near Iran's Qeshm Island and the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Iranian state outlet Press TV.
Earlier on Tuesday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported three separate attacks involving tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with no casualties reported in any of the incidents.
In the first incident, reported at 2119 UTC on Monday, a tanker was hit by an unidentified projectile on the port side, causing a fire about 8 nautical miles east of Limah, Oman, while travelling southbound.
In the second incident, reported on Tuesday, another tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile and is believed to have sustained structural damage.
In the latest incident, reported to UKMTO at 1305 UTC on Tuesday, a third tanker sustained minor structural damage after being hit by a drone. The vessel continued its journey to its next port of call.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the identities of two of the three vessels have been confirmed. One is a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker, while the other is a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker.
Earlier in the day, the Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted two tankers attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz via a US-backed Omani route on Monday night after they allegedly failed to heed warnings, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported.
US hits Iran, revokes oil licence
The United States on Tuesday launched a new wave of CENTCOM airstrikes on more than 80 Iranian military targets while simultaneously revoking a key Treasury licence that had allowed Tehran to sell oil, sharply escalating pressure after Iran allegedly attacked three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
In what marks Washington's strongest military response since last month's ceasefire with Tehran, US forces targeted Iranian air defence systems, command-and-control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 IRGC small boats operating in and around the strategic waterway.
CENTCOM said the operation was carried out as "an immediate response to Iran's latest attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz."
The command said the strikes were intended to degrade Iran's ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through one of the world's busiest maritime trade corridors.
According to the Pentagon, Iran recently attacked three commercial vessels transiting the strait — the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, the Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and the Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity.
"The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation," CENTCOM said.
The military also warned that further action remained possible if Tehran continued violating the agreement.
"CENTCOM forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed," it said.
Hours before announcing the strikes, the US Treasury Department revoked General License X, issued on June 21, and replaced it with General License X1. The move immediately ended the authorisation that had temporarily allowed the production, delivery and sale of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and petrochemical products under the ceasefire arrangement.
The new licence permits only a limited wind-down period through July 17 for transactions previously authorised. It expressly bars any new purchases or loading of Iranian crude oil, petroleum or petrochemical products after July 7.
The military operation and the restoration of oil sanctions underscore the Trump administration's decision to combine military and economic pressure in response to what it says were Iranian violations of the ceasefire.
