The United States launched strikes against Iranian military infrastructure Saturday in retaliation for a fresh drone attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, the military said.
US Central Command confirmed the operation targeted Iranian surveillance systems, communications equipment, air defense positions, drone storage, and minelayer capabilities. The action came after Iran struck a Panama-flagged oil tanker early Saturday morning near the strategic waterway.
The escalation marks a second round of US retaliation in as many days. On Friday, American forces had already struck Iranian targets following a drone hit on a cargo ship the previous day. The tanker attacked Saturday, the M/T Kiku, was carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil through the contested strait when it was struck at 4:30 a.m. ET.
Centcom described the action as a direct response to what it called "continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping." The military statement emphasized that despite the escalating tensions, commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continues uninterrupted.
The strikes occur against a backdrop of broader disagreements between Washington and Tehran. A ceasefire arrangement remains in place, though tensions simmer over multiple unresolved issues, including Iran's nuclear program, maritime toll disputes in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran's ballistic missile capabilities.
Following Friday's strikes, the US military signaled its intent to maintain enforcement of the existing ceasefire framework even as the two sides clash over those fundamental questions.
Author James Rodriguez: "The tit-for-tat cycle shows both sides are testing the limits of the ceasefire rather than genuinely seeking de-escalation."
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