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The United States military launched strikes against Iran within minutes of an attack that targeted a commercial ship near the Strait of Hormuz late on July 11.
In a statement, Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces began launching the third round of strikes this week against Iran after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “blatantly attacked” GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the strategic waterway.
“A civilian crew member is missing and the vessel is unable to continue the journey due to an onboard fire and significant engineroom damage,” the command added.
CENTCOM noted that “Iran was provided yet another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels but has again failed.”
“In response, the United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait. The strikes are being carried out at the direction of the Commander in Chief,” it concluded.
Iran’s Press TV reported a series of explosions in the cities of Bushehr and Asaluyeh in the south of the country early on July 12.
The IRGC Navy said earlier that a commercial ship was struck by a “warning shot” after ignoring orders to change course, adding that any further action by the U.S. and its allies in response would face a “severe” retaliation.
Commenting on CENTCOM’s announcement, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrote on X: “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.”
The escalation came a day after the U.S. demanded that Iran publicly guarantee safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. It also came hours after Iran’s foreign minister, his Omani counterpart, and Qatari officials concluded a day of negotiations in Muscat aimed at resolving the standoff.
The Islamic Republic is guaranteed to respond, and the memorandum of understanding reached last month to end the war could collapse.
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