US Strikes Iranian Targets In Latest Escalation Over Strait Of Hormuz Attacks

US Central Command (CENTCOM) completed a series of powerful strikes early Wednesday (UTC), hitting over 80 Iranian targets in immediate retaliation for attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired missiles and drones at three commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with reports of damage to vessels including a Qatari LNG tanker Al Rekayyat and a Saudi crude tanker, but no casualties. UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and U.S. officials confirmed the incidents.

In response, CENTCOM said it utilized precision munitions to degrade Iran's military capabilities, specifically targeting air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) small boats.

"The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation. CENTCOM forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable." CENTCOM said in a post on X.

In response, Iran's top military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, has vowed a "crushing response," while state media reported explosions and injuries in the port cities of Sirik, Bandar Abbas, and on Qeshm Island.

Hours later, IRGC says in their "initial response" to the new US strikes they "destroyed 85 important US military installations in Port Salman, Bahrain, Bahrain's Fifth Naval Region, and Kuwait's Ali Salem Air Base, and shot down an enemy MQ9 drone that attempted to interfere in the operation." Sirens and air defenses were reported in Bahrain and Kuwait responding to Iranian missiles and drones.

The US earlier Tuesday, revoked a 60-day license that had authorized the sale of Iranian oil, a key component of the interim Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) signed in June between President Donald Trump and Tehran.

Iranian officials, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, condemned the actions as major violations of the agreement, asserting that "the era of bullying and extortion is over."

Latest escalation threatens to collapse ongoing peace negotiations aimed at permanently ending the war that began on February 28, 2026, following U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This comes amid a NATO summit in Ankara where Trump expressed disappointment in allied lack of support for the war.

Iran has accused the US of breaking the MOU by directing ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz via the Omani corridor instead of Iran-approved route.

The Joint Maritime Information Center has raised the threat level in the strategic waterway to "severe," warning mariners of continued hostile actions as diplomatic efforts to reopen the strait and address Iran's nuclear program face significant strain.