In a move of retribution, the United States has initiated strikes against Iran following its missile attack on a cargo vessel navigating the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the US Central Command, the container ship, sailing under a Cypriot flag, suffered significant damage during the incident on Saturday, as confirmed on X.
Officials reported that a crew member remained unaccounted for after the “blatant” assault halted the ship’s progress.
The US Central Command remarked that Iran was once again given a chance to uphold the Memorandum of Understanding in light of previous accountability for assaults on commercial ships, an expectation it has failed to meet yet again.
A compelling video shared by US Central Command captured the nighttime retaliatory strikes, showcasing US forces targeting approximately 140 Iranian military sites using a mix of aircraft, drones, and naval artillery.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth vowed revenge for the strike and said: ‘Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.’
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared the strait closed until further notice after the attack, according to a statement cited by CNN.
As the US retaliated, at least six Middle Eastern countries sounded alarms, with Iran claiming responsibility for strikes in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Oman, and Qatar announcing it had intercepted a missile attack.
US Central Command posted dramatic video of the retaliatory strikes on X, saying that US forces had struck about 140 Iranian military targets
The US said that the munitions hitting the Iranian targets on Saturday had been launched by aircraft, drones and vessels
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard declared the Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice after firing a missile at a cargo ship, with the US subsequently launching retaliatory strikes
President Trump said Friday that the US had agreed to continue negotiating with Iran but ‘that the Cease Fire is OVER!’
The vessel, which American authorities named as the M/V GFS Galaxy, was attempting to use an unauthorized route to cross the waterway, the IRGC claimed.
The US military’s strikes on Saturday night, which began around 7.15pm Eastern time, marked the third round against Iran this week.
Some of the targets attacked by US forces included missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks and coastal surveillance locations, US Central Command said.
Iran had said the strait was being shut down ‘given the precariousness that was caused by this unlawful interference by outside parties.’
It added that the closure would be ‘until further notice and until regional interference by the US ceases,’ per the statement cited by CNN. ‘No vessel or naval craft will be allowed to pass.’
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had met with his Omani counterpart on Saturday to discuss the strait given the recent tension.
Araghchi explained that the meeting in Muscat, Oman, was meant to discuss ‘appropriate mechanisms for ensuring the safe passage of ships,’ according to the Associated Press.
Omani and Iranian negotiators were set to continue talks ‘at the technical and political levels,’ Reuters reported, citing Oman’s state news agency.
Explosions have been reported in southern Iran in the port cites of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, according to Iran’s IRIB state broadcaster, as per Al Jazeera.
At least 12 explosions have reportedly been heard in different parts of the Bushehr province, which homes the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant.
No casualties had been reported as of early Saturday night, according to Ehsan Jahanian, the province’s deputy governor for political, security and social affairs.
More than 10 explosions were heard in the port city of Jask, according to the outlet, citing the IRNA news agency.
Blasts were also heard in Chabahar, Bandar–e Deyr and Asaluyeh, the outlet added. Other explosions have been reported near Konarak and Chabahar.
The IRGC said the Strait of Hormuz would be closed ‘until regional interference by the US ceases’
The US had already launched retaliatory strikes on Iran earlier this week after three ships were hit in the strait
US Central Command said it had targeted missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks and coastal surveillance locations
During three strikes this week, Central Command said it had struck more than 300 targets at the direction of President Trump
Iran claimed it had targeted US military facilities at Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan with several missiles, according to Al Jazeera, citing the IRIB state broadcaster.
The IRGC claimed its aerospace forces had destroyed a command–and–control center at the base and hangars with MQ–9 drones.
Additionally, Iran claimed a second strike on an ‘offending vessel’ in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that supposed US–Israeli ‘aggressions’ would lead to ‘even more devastating’ attacks.
The country’s state broadcaster also claimed Iran had launched drone attacks on US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain.
The IRGC claimed it used explosive drones to target a Patriot air defense system, an ammunition depot and a radar site belonging to the US military in Kuwait, as well as a communications system and radar site in Bahrain.
Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior had activated air raid sirens and directed locals to head to the nearest safe place, it said on X. The Kuwaiti Army said it was ‘confronting hostile aerial targets.’
Qatar’s Ministry of Defense said that a missile attack had been intercepted, though it did not give further details. The country’s Ministry of Interior had urged everyone to remain inside their homes or in safe places.
The IRGC claimed it had targeted the airbase at Qatar’s Al Udeid with ballistic missiles, according to Al Jazeera.
Through the state broadcaster, the IRGC also claimed responsibility for a ‘heavy and surprise’ attack on the Duqm Port in Oman on US aircraft carrier ships and refueling platforms.
The United Arab Emirates said its air defenses were ‘engaging’ with incoming missiles and drone attacks from Iran, per Al Jazeera.
One of Iran’s top negotiators, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, addressed the attacks on social media.
‘The era of one-sided deals is OVER,’ Ghalibaf wrote early Sunday on X. ‘We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking.’
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (pictured) had traveled to Oman on Saturday to discuss ‘appropriate mechanisms for ensuring the safe passage of ships’ through the strait
On Friday, President Trump said on Truth Social that he had agreed to continue negotiating with Iran but insisted ‘that the Cease Fire is OVER!’
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei released a written statement the following day, vowing to ‘avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced killers,’ per Reuters.
‘Whether we are there or not, this will be accomplished, and soon every free person around the world will fulfill a part of this divine mission,’ Khamenei’s statement read.
Khamenei has not been seen since he was appointed Supreme Leader after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in US–Israeli airstrikes on February 28, when the war started.
Earlier this week, the US had already retaliated against Iran on Wednesday after three ships were struck in the Strait of Hormuz.
The ships included a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker, as well as a Saudi crude oil tanker, according to Al Jazeera.
As part of that attack, American forces hit about 90 military targets, including at least 60 IRGC boats. In total, the three strikes this week hit more than 300 targets.
‘US forces remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief,’ a Central Command statement at the time said.
The Strait of Hormuz, which consists of a narrow passage of water between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is a vital part of the global economy.
Around a fifth of the world’s traded oil flowed through the strait every day prior to the ongoing war.
But as oil exports go down because of the tensions in the strait, the price of gas has largely risen around the world, putting a strain on customers’ wallets.
The Daily Mail reached out to the White House for comment.