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U.S. forces carried out additional strikes against Iranian targets Saturday after Iran launched a one-way attack drone that struck a commercial oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Central Command.
“CENTCOM forces launched strikes today in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping,” the command said in a statement.
“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,” the statement added.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported explosions near the southern city of Sirik, citing a military source who said several projectiles struck a telecommunications tower in the area.
The broadcaster also reported that projectiles struck a village on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Those reports could not be independently verified.
The latest military exchange further heightened tensions despite an interim memorandum of understanding signed last week by the United States and Iran that established a 60-day negotiating period while both sides pursue a broader agreement.
Vice President JD Vance urged Iran on Friday to resolve disputes over the framework through diplomacy rather than military action.
“Iran should pick up the phone” if disagreements arise over the agreement, Vance wrote on social media, adding that “violence will be met with violence.”
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most strategically important waterways, carrying roughly one-fifth of global seaborne oil shipments.
The actions also follow U.S.-authorized military strikes on Iranian missile and drone infrastructure Friday night after what U.S. officials described as a new Iranian attack on a commercial cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz that violated the ceasefire, according to U.S. officials and reports from The New York The retaliatory operation involved American fighter jets striking Iranian missile and drone storage facilities, coastal radar installations, and positions along the Strait of Hormuz and on Qeshm Island, according to U.S. Central Command.
