US strikes Iran for second day after tanker attack in Strait of Hormuz
The United States military carried out a second round of airstrikes inside Iran on Saturday, following an Iranian attack on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes mark a significant escalation in the cycle of attacks that has raised tension in the region since a ceasefire was signed in June.
The Panama-flagged tanker MT Kiku was struck by a drone at 4:30 a.m. Eastern time while carrying over two million barrels of crude oil through the strait. The vessel had departed from a Qatari oil field and was heading to a port in the United Arab Emirates. No crew were injured and no oil leaked, according to reports.
A senior US official, speaking to Fox News on condition of anonymity, said the American response was deliberately larger than the previous night's strike. “Iran had a chance to stop shooting and they didn’t take it. Instead, they attacked another ship in Hormuz this morning,” the official said.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strikes were conducted under President Donald Trump’s orders, targeting Iranian surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defence sites, drone storage facilities, and minelaying equipment. Iran’s state television reported explosions north of the Strait of Hormuz, near the port of Sirik and on Qeshm Island.
“CENTCOM forces launched strikes today in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping,” the command said in a statement from Tampa, Florida. It added that Iran had been given an opportunity to return to the ceasefire after Friday’s strikes but chose not to take it.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had struck several locations of what it called the “US terrorist army in the region,” without specifying the sites. Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, said Iranian drones had targeted the country, calling it “a flagrant threat to the security of citizens and residents.”
The pattern of attacks began on Thursday when the Singapore-registered container ship Ever Lovely was hit by a drone while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. No injuries were reported. President Trump described that attack as a “foolish violation” of a ceasefire memorandum signed on 17 June. By Friday evening, the US had struck targets near Sirik, and Iran responded by hitting US military installations in the region.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which nearly 20 per cent of the world’s oil supply passes, along with large amounts of natural gas and fertiliser. In February, after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, Tehran moved to close the strait to commercial shipping, causing global fuel prices to rise. The 17 June memorandum aimed to ease that pressure by calling for an immediate end to military operations and requiring Iran to allow commercial vessels free transit for 60 days.
The Associated Press described the ongoing strikes as showing “the danger of the Iran war again spinning out of control, even after Iran and the US reached an interim deal.”
