U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Saturday that American forces carried out another round of strikes on multiple targets in Iran after a Panama-flagged oil tanker was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. military launched new strikes against Iranian targets after Tehran allegedly ignored the ceasefire and launched a drone attack on a Panama-flagged oil tanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil.
“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.”
According to CENTCOM, the tanker M/T Kiku was carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil when it was hit by a one-way attack drone around 4:30 a.m. while sailing near the Strait of Hormuz.
“After yesterday’s U.S. strikes in response to the Iranian attack on M/V Ever Lovely, Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to when its forces launched a one-way attack drone that hit M/T Kiku this morning at 4:30 a.m. ET,” the statement reads. “The Panama-flagged tanker was transiting near the Strait of Hormuz with more than two-million barrels of crude oil.”
The strike came two days after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps allegedly attacked 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.
Read the full article here