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U.S. military forces launched precision airstrikes against more than 80 targets inside Iran on Tuesday night, following Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, officials said.
According to U.S. Central Command, Tehran targeted civilian-crewed merchant ships navigating an international waterway. The vessels involved were reportedly flagged under Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
In response, CENTCOM conducted offensive operations targeting a wide array of military infrastructure. The strikes hit Iranian air defense systems, coastal radar stations, command and control networks, anti-ship missile sites, and over 60 small boats operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The operations were intended to “degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor,” CENTCOM announced via a social media platform.
“The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation,” the military statement said. “CENTCOM forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed.”
The military escalation occurs just weeks after Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding, which stipulated that both nations committed to “negotiating and achieving the final deal in a maximum 60 days, extended with mutual consent.”
Delegations from the U.S. and Iran are scheduled to convene in Islamabad, Pakistan, on July 11 to continue diplomatic negotiations.
“The Office of Foreign Assets Control is revoking GL X, which authorized the sale of Iranian oil,” an unnamed official told the New York Post on Tuesday. “As President Trump and the administration have repeatedly affirmed, the MOU in effect with Iran is entirely performance-based.
“Iran will only reap benefits if they exhibit good behavior. Iran’s actions in the Strait were wholly unacceptable to the United States and will be met with consequences,” the official added.
