US Launches 'Powerful Strikes' Against Iran After Three Ships Attacked in Strait of Hormuz
The US military launched new strikes against Iran on Tuesday after Iranian forces attacked three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening a fragile ceasefire and reviving regional tensions.
Latest Military Escalation
U.S. forces launched a new wave of military strikes against Iran late Tuesday, citing a desire to impose costs on Tehran following Iranian attacks on commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in the Strait of Hormuz. Hours after the three tankers were struck by projectiles, the United States revoked a license that authorizing the sale of Iranian oil as part of the interim deal to end the fighting between the U.S. and Iran.
Immediate Crisis at Sea
Iran's military fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night, and the IRGC attacked a third commercial ship on Tuesday morning. The Al Rekayyat gas carrier was struck in the early hours of Tuesday, and a Saudi crude oil tanker was damaged while leaving Hormuz. The new assaults in the fuel-shipping waterway were the most in a single day since late April, threatening to choke off the flow of traffic in the strait just as countries hoped to restore normal shipping practices and ease the global economic strain of the war.
Breakdown of Peace Agreement
The reported attacks threaten to unravel a memorandum of understanding signed less than three weeks ago under which Iran agreed to halt attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, and they come after a one-week agreement between the U.S. and Iran on halting attacks in the strait expired. The reports of attacks on shipping in the strait come as sensitive peace negotiations continue between the United States and Iran to bring a lasting end to their war, which began on February 28, with one of the key sticking points in the talks being the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively closed to shipping after US-Israeli strikes began.
Broader Context and Stakes
In peacetime, a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the channel. Trump has repeatedly threatened to resume bombing if Iran does not make a deal, most recently on Monday when he told reporters in the Oval Office: "We're either going to make a deal or we're going to finish the job. OK. And it won't be tough to finish the job. I'd rather make a deal, because I don't want to affect 91 million people."