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Iran claims it has launched attacks on 85 US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait following fresh US strikes on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strikes were carried out to “impose heavy costs” on Iran for targeting commercial shipping vessels carrying civilian crews in an international waterway. The UK Maritime Trade Operations confirmed that multiple oil tankers were targeted during the latest incidents.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) described its latest military action as retaliation for what it called a violation of the ceasefire agreement by the United States. In a statement, CENTCOM said: “Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire.”
The strikes came hours after Washington announced it would reinstate sanctions on Iran over attacks on commercial ships in the region. The escalation follows renewed tensions between the two countries after the US and Iran accused each other of breaching the terms of a ceasefire reached in late June.
Days after US President Donald Trump signed a peace agreement with Iran, CENTCOM announced it had carried out strikes against multiple targets in the country. The command said Iran had been given an opportunity to respect the ceasefire but failed to do so after its forces launched a one-way drone attack on the Panama-flagged tanker MT Kiku.
President Trump had earlier warned that “the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist” if it continued what he described as violations of the peace agreement. Iran, however, accused the US of violating the ceasefire by allowing continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, which Tehran said breached a condition of the agreement.
On June 20, Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz was “closed” again and accused Washington of violating the ceasefire terms. The country said vessels would require permission to pass through the strategic waterway and raised the possibility of imposing charges on ships using the route.
It remains unclear whether the reported restrictions on shipping contributed to the recent attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
