The United States launched a series of military strikes against Iran early Wednesday in response to attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions between the two countries and jeopardizing an interim cease-fire agreement. The strikes followed projectile and drone attacks on ships flagged by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, which caused damage and fires but no reported casualties.
U.S. Central Command stated that the operations targeted Iranian air defense systems, coastal surveillance installations, ground-to-air missile sites, and launch facilities for anti-ship cruise missiles and drones. The strikes occurred near the Iranian coastal city of Sirik and the island of Qeshm in southern Iran, locations where explosions were reported by Iranian state media.
In addition to the military response, the U.S. government revoked a license that had previously authorized the sale of Iranian oil under the terms of the interim deal aimed at ending hostilities. A U.S. official described the move as a response to Tehran’s “wholly unacceptable” actions in the strait, emphasizing that the existing memorandum of understanding (MOU) was performance-based and that Iran’s recent conduct violated the cease-fire.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S. revocation of the oil license, calling it a breach of the interim agreement and placing responsibility for its consequences on the United States. Iranian state media suggested, without official confirmation, that Tehran was involved in the attack on a Qatar-flagged liquefied natural gas tanker carrying the vessel Al Rekayyat, which was struck near Oman’s coast and caught fire. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack as a serious violation of international law and held Iran legally responsible.
The recent hostilities mark the most concentrated attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz since late April, according to the United Nations International Maritime Organization. The waterway is a vital global energy transit route, through which roughly one-fifth of traded oil and natural gas passes. Iran has insisted that vessels use its designated routes through the strait and threatened swift retaliation against interference by U.S. forces. Conversely, multinational maritime authorities overseen by the U.S. Navy have maintained that alternate routes near Oman’s shore remain open and expanded for international shipping.
The escalation comes amid ongoing but currently stalled negotiations between the U.S. and Iran aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program, and achieving a permanent end to the conflict that began on February 28. The attacks and retaliatory strikes undermine these diplomatic efforts, which include a 60-day interim arrangement allowing vessels passage without fees—an agreement Iran has challenged by insisting on control over shipping routes and plans to impose transit charges, a demand rejected by the U.S. and several Gulf Arab states.
The strikes coincided with nationwide mourning in Iran over the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the outset of the conflict. Large funeral processions took place near Qom and other Shiite religious centers, while Iranian authorities prepared to transport Khamenei’s body to Najaf and Karbala in Iraq before his burial in Mashhad. The leader’s death has added complexity to Iran’s internal political dynamics as negotiations and military confrontations continue.