In a significant escalation, the United States resumed its military operations against Iran on Tuesday. This decisive action follows a string of attacks by Tehran on commercial ships navigating the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Amid a worsening ceasefire, US Central Command publicized the commencement of these new strikes, highlighting the fragile nature of the current peace between the two nations.
‘Our forces have initiated a series of potent strikes on Iran designed to impose severe consequences for their attacks on commercial shipping manned by innocent civilians in a key international waterway,’ the statement read, reflecting the gravity of the situation.
The escalation is a direct response to Iranian assaults on three merchant vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. These acts of aggression from Iran, deemed unwarranted and hazardous, mark a blatant breach of the ceasefire agreement.
A US official disclosed to CNN that these actions are meant as ‘punishment,’ emphasizing that the military response ‘won’t be over for a bit,’ suggesting ongoing operations are in the works.
Meanwhile, the Iranian foreign ministry accused the United States of violating the two countries’ memorandum of understanding and said they have repeatedly violated parts of it.
They said the decision showed ‘bad faith’ and was proof that the Trump administration can’t be trusted and will take ‘any measures’ to defend themselves in a statement obtained by Al Jazeera.
It comes after three tankers were struck by projectiles Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz, the British military said, and the United States revoked a license that had authorized the sale of Iranian oil as part of an interim deal to end the fighting between the US and Iran.
The United States resumed strikes on Iran Tuesday following a series of hits from Tehran on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz
It comes after a liquefied natural gas tanker caught fire after being struck by a projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman early Tuesday (file photo)
The new assaults in the fuel-shipping waterway were the most in a single day since late April, according to the UN International Maritime Organization.
The fresh attacks threatened to choke off the flow of traffic in the strait just as countries hoped to restore normal shipping practices and ease the global economic strain of the war.
Hours later, the US revoked the 60-day license issued last month by the Treasury Department that waived sanctions on Iranian oil.
A US official said the license was revoked because Iran’s actions in the strait were unacceptable and needed to be met with consequences.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One tanker was traveling off the coast of Oman when it was hit and caught fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.
Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.
The other two ships sustained some damage, but no one was injured, and both continued on their way, the UK maritime agency said.
US Central Command announced the new strikes as an uneasy ceasefire continued to deteriorate between the two nations
Tehran, which has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe, is suspected of attacking other ships that have used another route close to the Omani shore.
Location details provided by the UK agency showed that all three attacks occurred off the coast of Oman or the neighboring United Arab Emirates, making it likely that the ships were using the route near Oman.
The US is eager to press ahead with negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war launched February 28. An interim deal has been strained.
Previous attacks in the strait have sparked retaliatory strikes by the U.S. Iran then attacked Gulf Arab states.
In peacetime, a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the channel.
The license issued by the U.S. authorized the production, delivery and sale of Iranian oil through August 21.
US Vice President JD Vance said at the time that lengthy talks with senior Iranian officials in Switzerland created a ‘good foundation for a successful final deal’ to end the war.
US sanctions on the purchase of Iranian oil had been in place since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
After the US and Israel launched the war, and after the closure of the strait, the US had authorized the temporary sale of Iranian oil at least twice as an incentive toward a deal.
Meanwhile, talks between Iran and the US appeared to be on hold until after the burial of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the war.
This is a developing story.