US strikes Iran after drone attack on cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz
Washington says strikes targeted Iranian missile and drone sites after attack on commercial vessel violated ceasefire
The US carried out strikes in Iran on Friday after an Iranian drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz violated a ceasefire reached last week.
US Central Command said American aircraft hit missile and drone storage facilities as well as coastal radar sites. It later released a grainy black-and-white video showing an explosion, marked “unclassified.” A US official said the operation had ended.
Iran said a projectile landed near a pier in Sirik, in the country’s south. Tehran also claimed its naval forces had retaliated by striking US military targets in the region, but did not provide details or evidence of any damage.
The escalation followed Tehran’s warning that it would assert control over the Strait of Hormuz and its call on Gulf states not to align with Washington. The warning came after Thursday’s Iranian attack on a cargo ship near the coast of Oman, which President Donald Trump said breached the interim ceasefire.
“The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire,” US Central Command said, describing Friday’s strikes as “a powerful response” to the attack on the commercial vessel.
The US military said it would continue to provide “safe passage coordination and support” to commercial ships transiting the strait.