The United States launched what it called “powerful” military strikes against Iran on Tuesday, after three commercial ships were attacked while passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command announced the strikes in a post on X, saying the action was taken to “impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping.”
The statement read: “The US strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz” and will “impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping.”
“Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire,” the statement added.
U.S. Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway. The U.S. strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 7, 2026
US media outlet Axios reported that the targets included Iranian air defence systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missile sites, drone launch sites and port facilities. Iranian media reported explosions in the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, and on Qeshm Island.
Iran immediately warned Washington it would “take whatever measures it deems necessary,” raising the risks that an interim agreement to halt fighting in the war could break down, putting the Middle East again at risk of a wider conflict.
“The era of bullying and extortion is over,” Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X. “It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.”
Major MOU Violations by the US:
Violating Iranian adjustments in the Strait
Persistent threats of further strikes
Reinstating oil sanctions
Attacks on southern Iran
Continued Zionist aggression on🇱🇧
The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.
— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) July 8, 2026
Iran acknowledged the strikes, but offered no word on any losses. Iranian state media reported the sound of explosions in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm and Sirik.
Iran’s central military command warned it “will respond decisively to this aggression and terrorist act.”
“Under no circumstances will (the Iranian armed forces) allow interference in the affairs of the Strait of Hormuz, nor will they permit others to manage it,” it said.
The strikes came just hours after the three tankers were hit by projectiles while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. Following the attacks, the United States withdrew a licence that had allowed the sale of Iranian oil. That licence had been part of the memorandum of understanding meant to end the fighting between the two nations.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry slammed Washington’s decision to cancel the oil sanctions waiver, calling it a “clear breach of Article 10 of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding.”
Read: Return Of War Possible, Prepared For It: Key Iran Official
“The United States’ action in revoking the waiver for the exemption of sanctions on Iran’s oil sales constitutes a blatant violation of Article 10, and the subsequent military operations of this country against Iran also constitute a serious violation of Articles 1 and 2 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in a statement on X.
“Iran, while issuing a serious warning regarding the consequences of America’s breach of the agreement, will take decisive actions to safeguard its national interests and security,” he warned.
The renewed strikes are likely to complicate ongoing talks. Those negotiations are aimed at fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz, scaling back Iran’s nuclear programme, and reaching a lasting end to the war in the Middle East that began on 28 February, when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, killing then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
