Washington: The United States launched airstrikes on Iranian military targets after Tehran attacked a Singapore-flagged commercial cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, marking Washington’s first direct military response since the two countries agreed to a ceasefire earlier this week.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strikes targeted Iranian missile and drone storage sites as well as coastal radar installations after Iran hit the M/V Ever Lovely with a one-way attack drone on June 25. The vessel was exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast when it was attacked.
“CENTCOM forces conducted strikes against Iran, June 26, as a powerful response to yesterday’s attack on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” the command said in a statement.
It said US aircraft struck “Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites after Iran hit M/V Ever Lovely on June 25 with a one-way attack drone.”
CENTCOM said the attack on the merchant vessel “clearly violated the ceasefire.”
“The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire. Furthermore, Iran’s dangerous behaviour undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor,” it said.
The military said it would continue protecting commercial shipping through the strategic waterway.
“CENTCOM forces continue to provide safe passage coordination and support to commercial vessels transiting the strait. The U.S. military remains present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect.”
Hours before the operation, President Donald Trump criticised Iran’s attack on the cargo vessel.
“I don’t like the fact that they took a shot yesterday,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “They shouldn’t be doing that. You’ll find out.”
Earlier, Trump wrote on social media that Iran had launched four one-way attack drones at ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. He said US forces intercepted three of them, while the fourth struck the cargo ship.
“Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement,” he wrote.
Iran did not immediately acknowledge responsibility for the attack on the vessel. However, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing Iranian state media, projectiles struck a telecommunications tower in Sirik, a port overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, after the US retaliation.
The newspaper reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that “any new folly will be met with a strong response that will shatter the illusions of the aggressors in the region.”
According to The Washington Post, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also claimed it had thwarted part of the US operation and forced American forces to retreat, although there was no immediate confirmation from the US military.
The New York Times reported that the US strikes lasted about 90 minutes and were intended as a retaliatory measure rather than a resumption of major combat operations, citing US officials familiar with the operation.
The latest exchange comes only days after Washington and Tehran agreed to halt hostilities following weeks of military confrontation.
The ceasefire framework called for an end to military operations and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz while both sides begin negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and other outstanding issues. Friday’s attack on the Ever Lovely and the subsequent US retaliation now raise fresh questions over the durability of that fragile agreement.
(IANS)
