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US Central Command announced the initiation of retaliatory strikes against Iranian targets on Tuesday to impose heavy costs for attacks on commercial shipping crewed by innocent mariners in an international waterway. The command posted on X that Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted dangerous and a clear violation of the recent ceasefire while a US official speaking anonymously beforehand described the tanker assaults as wholly unacceptable. Negotiators would nevertheless continue working toward a final deal in good faith the official added as the US Treasury simultaneously revoked a sanctions waiver tied to last month’s memorandum of understanding with Tehran.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations reported the first strike on Monday when an unknown projectile hit a tanker’s engine room causing a fire followed by two separate incidents on Tuesday in which one vessel sustained minor structural damage and another was able to proceed after being hit. Qatar’s foreign ministry identified its flagged liquefied natural gas tanker Al-Rekayyat as among those targeted near the strait and held Iran fully responsible demanding an immediate end to practices undermining regional security. Saudi Arabia separately blamed Iran for striking its crude oil carrier Wadyan in the waterway terming the assaults a direct threat to international navigation and global energy supplies according to its foreign ministry statement.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister labeled the US strikes a violation of the memorandum signed in June and warned that Tehran would take decisive measures to protect its interests while the foreign ministry described the accompanying revocation of the oil sanctions waiver as proof of American bad faith and inconsistency. Spokesman Esmail Baghaei rejected Qatar’s accusations as contrary to good neighbourliness and noted that vessels failing to coordinate with Iranian authorities or tampering with tracking systems risked collision and disrupted safe transit efforts. The memorandum had extended a ceasefire across all fronts committed Iran to never developing nuclear weapons and foreseen a $300 billion reconstruction fund although Washington faced no contribution obligation according to its published terms.
The Treasury notice allowed a wind-down period for authorised transactions until July 17 reflecting the partial lifting of oil sanctions that had formed part of last month’s understanding Reuters reported in coverage of the diplomatic backdrop. This latest exchange follows a series of strikes and counterstrikes that began in late June after an Iranian projectile hit a cargo vessel in the same waterway violating an interim ceasefire agreed on June 17. Both sides have since accused each other of breaches with US forces conducting earlier rounds of attacks on Iranian sites as documented by Al Jazeera and CNN reporting.
The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly one fifth of global seaborne oil trade making the incidents particularly disruptive to energy markets a longstanding assessment from the US Energy Information Administration reiterated in recent CNBC analysis of the heightened threat level now classified as severe. No casualties resulted from any of the tanker strikes UKMTO data confirmed even as the events unfolded along a US Navy-protected route that Iran had warned vessels against using. Qatar and Saudi Arabia joined in broader Gulf calls for de-escalation while emphasising the need to safeguard shipping lanes critical to regional economies.
US officials maintained that the response remained proportionate and targeted as diplomatic channels stayed open despite the revocation of sanctions relief that had temporarily eased pressure on Iranian oil sales. Industry reports highlighted surging concern among maritime operators with some rerouting vessels away from the strait in the wake of the attacks further straining supply chains already tested by prior incidents this summer. The combined military diplomatic and economic measures underscore the fragile nature of the June understanding that had briefly paused open conflict between Washington and Tehran.
