US Central Command said the action was a response to “unwarranted aggression” in the Strait of Hormuz
The US announced a new round of strikes on Iran after several tankers were targeted while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian media reported explosions in the early hours of Wednesday in the southern province of Hormozgan, including at the ports of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, as well as on Qeshm Island, close to the narrowest section of the strait.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it was conducting “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.”
“The US strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire,” CENTCOM said in a statement on X.
A video posted on social media reportedly shows the strikes on Bandar Abbas.
Press TV shared a video that it said showed another strike in the port. The outlet added hat several people had been injured.
Axios cited a US official as saying that the strikes targeted Iran’s air defenses, missile and drone sites, and port facilities. The official said the strikes were “four or five times bigger in scope and power” than the previous round 10 days earlier.
Three commercial vessels were struck by projectiles earlier on Tuesday, according to maritime security agencies and the UK military. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari blamed Iran for the attack on the Qatari-flagged LNG tanker Al Rekayyat and demanded that Tehran “refrain from endangering global energy supplies.”
Iranian media, citing unnamed officials, reported that the Qatari tanker was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz “after ignoring repeated warnings.” Press TV, citing a government source, said traffic through the strategic waterway should be conducted strictly in accordance with Iran’s rules and through officially designated routes.
The hostilities mark the third night of strikes since the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on June 17, and the first such strikes this month. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the attacks violated the accord.
The latest round of bombing occurred on the sixth day of funeral processions for Iran’s longtime supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the opening wave of the US-Israeli air war on February 28. The ceremonies drew crowds of millions in Tehran and other cities. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attended a reception ceremony in the Iraqi city of Najaf on Tuesday.
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