The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) revealed on Saturday that American military forces conducted fresh strikes on several Iranian targets. This action followed an assault on a Panama-flagged oil tanker near the pivotal Strait of Hormuz.
The latest U.S. military strikes targeted locations in Iran after reports surfaced that Tehran defied a ceasefire agreement. Allegedly, Iranian forces carried out a drone attack on the tanker, which was transporting over two million barrels of crude oil under a Panama flag.
“CENTCOM forces launched strikes today in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping,” Centcom said. “U.S. military aircraft targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities.”
CENTCOM detailed that the M/T Kiku, an oil tanker bearing over two million barrels of crude, was struck by a single-use attack drone at approximately 4:30 a.m. while navigating near the Strait of Hormuz.
“Following yesterday’s U.S. strikes in retaliation for the Iranian assault on the M/V Ever Lovely, Iran had a chance to respect the ceasefire,” the statement clarified. “However, they chose to disregard this opportunity and launched another attack, deploying a one-way drone that struck the M/T Kiku this morning at 4:30 a.m. ET.” It further described that the Panama-flagged vessel was moving through the Strait of Hormuz carrying over two million barrels of crude oil.
This recent series of U.S. strikes transpired just two days after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was accused of targeting the Singapore-flagged M/V Ever Lovely in the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. officials told news outlets the vessel was hit by an Iranian one-way attack drone, while the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the ship was struck by an “unknown projectile” about 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Dahit, Oman. The attack damaged the ship’s bridge but caused no casualties or environmental damage.
A day later, U.S. forces struck Iranian missile and drone storage sites along with coastal radar positions. CENTCOM said Iran’s actions were threatening freedom of navigation through one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
CENTCOM also said Iran had been “given a chance to honor” the ceasefire after Friday’s strikes but instead chose to violate the agreement.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that any move by Iran to charge tolls, require insurance payments, or impose other fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz would be unacceptable and could quickly jeopardize ongoing negotiations.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said Iran had assured the United States it was not seeking or collecting tolls, insurance fees, or any other charges from vessels transiting the strategic waterway.
“Iran has informed the U.S. that, despite troublemaking Fake News reporting to the contrary, there are ‘NO TOLLS, NO INSURANCE COSTS, & NO OTHER CHARGES OF ANY KIND BEING SOUGHT OR RECEIVED BY IRAN ON SHIPS TRAVELING THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social.