The 60-day ceasefire between the US and Iran that went into eႇect on June 17 has collapsed. The US forces launched strikes against Iran on July 7 after three commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz were attacked, the US Central Command said.
In response, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that they targeted 85 US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, describing the operation as a response to what they called a US violation of the ceasefire.
In a post on X, the US command forces said “have begun launching 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.”
Over 80 Iranian targets were hit. The strikes were conducted using precisionguided munitions and were aimed at degrading Iran’s ability to threaten international maritime commerce.
“The US forces struck Iranian air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and near the strait to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce Àowing through the international trade corridor,” it added.
Explosions were heard near Iran’s Qeshm Island and port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, Xinhua news agency reported quoting Iranian state outlet Press TV. The United States has also re-imposed sanctions on Iranian oil, as a US oႈcial warned that Iran’s attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz were “wholly unacceptable” and would be met with consequences.
Oil prices were up more than 5 per cent following the announcement. The US Treasury had authorized last month Iran oil sales until August 21 as part of the fragile agreement between Tehran and Washington. The revocation cuts that wind-down period to an end date of July 17.
Ships under attack
Iran fired on three commercial vessels on July 7 in Oman’s territorial waters near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a US oႈcial.
The Qatari-Àagged vessel al-Rakiyat, a liquefied natural gas tanker, was “passing near” the key waterway when it was struck. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said Iran attacked one of its tankers, the crude oil carrier “Wedyan,” while it was passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has repeatedly maintained that only shipping routes approved by Tehran are safe and has previously warned vessels against using alternative routes closer to Oman’s coastline. Western oႈcials have long suspected Iran of targeting ships that deviate from its designated corridors, although Tehran has often denied direct involvement.
