Washington: The United States carried out a round of air strikes on southern Iran after accusing Tehran of attacking three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes marked a sharp rise in tensions between the two countries.
The US Central Command, known as CENTCOM, said the operation began on Tuesday and targeted more than 80 sites with precision munitions. The military said the strikes lasted about four hours. According to a US official, the targets included Iranian air defence systems, coastal surveillance facilities, surface to air missiles, anti ship cruise missiles and drone launch sites.
Iranian media reported explosions in Sirik, Qeshm Island and areas near Bandar Abbas. Reports said projectiles struck commercial and fishing piers in Sirik, where several people suffered injuries from shrapnel. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later claimed it shot down a US MQ9 drone in southern Iran.
Iranian military leaders pledged a crushing response and rejected foreign interference in the management of the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC later claimed it targeted 85 US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. Sirens sounded in both countries, while Kuwait’s military said its air defences confronted missile and drone attacks.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry accused the United States of violating the memorandum of understanding signed in June. Iranian officials also criticised Washington’s decision to revoke a temporary waiver on sanctions covering Iranian oil exports. Iran described both the renewed sanctions and the military strikes as breaches of the agreement.
The latest developments followed attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. A Qatari tanker caught fire after being struck by an unidentified projectile, while reports said a Saudi flagged oil tanker also sustained damage.
Iran said it remains prepared to defend its national security and warned it would take every measure it considers necessary in response to further attacks.
