The United States struck at least two Iranian military sites Thursday in response to a coordinated attack on American warships transiting one of the world's most critical waterways, according to U.S. Central Command.
Three Navy guided-missile destroyers came under fire as they moved through the Strait of Hormuz toward the Gulf of Oman. The USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta, and USS Mason faced a barrage of missiles, drones, and small boats launched by Iranian forces. None of the American vessels were hit.
CENTCOM responded immediately, targeting military facilities in Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island. The strikes destroyed Iranian missile and drone launch sites, command and control locations, and surveillance infrastructure responsible for directing the attack. U.S. officials characterized the operation as defensive and stopped short of calling it an escalation toward broader combat.
Iran offered a starkly different account of events. The Iranian military claimed it fired only after American forces violated a ceasefire by attacking an Iranian oil tanker in waters near Jask and striking another vessel near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian military officials also alleged the U.S. conducted air strikes on civilian coastal areas and Qeshm Island.
The confrontation underscores persistent tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage through which roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments flow. The waterway has long been a flashpoint for U.S. and Iranian military posturing.
Iran's state media later reported that conditions in Iranian coastal cities near the strait had returned to normal following the exchange. A CENTCOM statement added that the command does not seek escalation but remains prepared to defend American forces in the region.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Both sides are claiming self-defense while pointing fingers, which means the risk of miscalculation in the Strait of Hormuz just climbed significantly."
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