U.S. says it launched strikes on Iran for 'attacking commercial shipping' in Strait of Hormuz

U.S. says it launched strikes on Iran for 'attacking commercial shipping' in Strait of Hormuz

U.S. military statement calls Iran's actions 'a clear violation of the ceasefire'

The U.S. military launched a series of strikes against Iranian targets early Wednesday after three merchant ships were struck in the waters off Oman.

The renewed attacks from both sides threaten the interim deal reached last month, with the U.S. and Iran both saying the strikes violate that initial agreement. The fresh assaults will add to the difficulty of the negotiations aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back Tehran's disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war launched by Israel and the United States on Feb. 28.

In a statement posted to social media, U.S. Central Command said American forces launched the strikes "to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway."

"Iran's demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire," the statement said.

The latest exchange followed a similar spate of Iranian attacks on shipping and U.S. retaliation that occurred late last month.

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Hours after the three tankers were struck by projectiles, the United States revoked a licence that had authorized the sale of Iranian oil as part of the interim deal to end the fighting between the U.S. and Iran.

The new assaults were the most in a single day since late April, according to UN International Maritime Organization figures. The fresh attacks threatened 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.

A U.S. official said the licence was revoked because Iran's actions in the strait were unacceptable and needed to be met with consequences. The official spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to share insight into the reasoning behind the move.

The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

One tanker was travelling off the coast of Oman when it was hit and caught fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.

The other two ships sustained some damage, but no one was injured, and both continued on their way, the U.K. maritime agency said.

Iran warns oil tankers to use approved routes in Strait of Hormuz or face 'forceful response'

Tehran, which has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe, is suspected of attacking other ships that have used another route close to the Omani shore.

Location details provided by the U.K. agency show all three attacks occurred off the coast of Oman or the neighboring United Arab Emirates, making it likely that the ships were using the route near Oman.

U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Tuesday's attacks.

Qatar slams 'unacceptable attack'

One tanker was carrying liquid natural gas south through the strait near Limah, Oman, when a projectile hit the left-side engine room and sparked a fire, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center said.

Iranian state TV, quoting anonymous sources, implied that Tehran carried out the assault on a tanker it said was carrying natural gas from Qatar. However, there was no official claim from the Islamic Republic for the attack.

Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat was targeted in an "unacceptable attack" on international navigation and global energy security. He called it a "serious and explicit violation" of international law.

The targeting of the Qatari vessel "Al-Rekayyat" while transiting near the Strait of Hormuz constitutes an unacceptable attack on the security & safety of international maritime navigation, the security of global energy supplies, & a grave & explicit violation of international…

In a post on X, he said Qatar holds Iran "fully legally responsible" for the attack.

Later Tuesday, the U.K. maritime agency reported that an oil tanker was hit on its left side as it exited the strait near the Omani-Emirati border. A third tanker was struck by a drone off Oman, the agency said.

Iran's joint military command warned last Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the strait must use its approved routes. It also said that interference by U.S. forces in the strait "will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction."

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But the Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational body overseen by the U.S. Navy, told shippers Monday that the route around Oman "has been expanded and remains available for all traffic."

Ships going to the north on the Iranian route must register with Tehran. Those going south work with Oman and the U.S.

Talks between U.S., Iran on hold

The U.S. is eager to press ahead with negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back Tehran's disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war launched Feb. 28. An interim deal has been strained.

Previous attacks in the strait have sparked retaliatory strikes by the U.S. Iran then attacked Gulf Arab states.

In peacetime, a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the channel.

Meanwhile, talks between Iran and the U.S. appeared to be on hold until after the burial of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the war. Mourners at his funeral have called for the death of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Authorities flew Khamenei's body to the Shia seminary city of Qom, where mourners honoured him Tuesday.

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Speaking Monday at the White House, Trump warned Iran that it would need to "make a deal, or we're going to finish the job."

"I'd rather make a deal, because I don't want to affect 91 million people," Trump said. "We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply."

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Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the vessels' routes and later charge fees for passage, which would upend decades of practice in the waterway.

The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they will not agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait. An effort by Oman and the UN to launch a new route near Oman's shore earlier sparked attacks across the Mideast.

The data firm Kpler reported that over last weekend at least 108 ships crossed through the strait using various routes.