Washington, July 7 (SANA) U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Tuesday that the U.S. military has launched a series of powerful strikes against Iran in response to Iranian attacks on oil tankers and threats to maritime navigation safety in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a CENTCOM statement.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said: “U.S. Central Command forces 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.” The statement added that the strikes come in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the strait.
CENTCOM described Iranian aggression as “unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire”.
U.S. military aircraft targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities.
The attacks followed a series of incidents in the strait over the past two days, with three tankers damaged within a 24-hour period, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations. Saudi Arabia condemned Iran’s targeting of the Saudi tanker “Wadyan” and the Qatari tanker “Al-Rakiyat”, while Qatar held Iran “fully responsible” for the attack on the Qatari vessel.
U.S. revokes oil sanctions waiver
Earlier Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury Department revoked a general license that had temporarily lifted oil sanctions on Iran, which was part of the June 18 memorandum of understanding between the two countries. A U.S. official said Iran’s actions in the strait “were wholly unacceptable to the United States and will be met with consequences,” while adding that U.S. negotiators “continue to work in good faith towards a final deal”.
The attacks came just weeks after the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on June 18 providing for a cessation of hostilities, the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which had been closed since the outbreak of the war on February 28.
The strait, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints, handles approximately one-fifth of global oil supplies. The attacks on the tankers marked a sharp escalation, threatening to unravel the fragile diplomatic effort aimed at restoring security to the waterway.
KhA / H.H
