The U.S. military carried out strikes against more than 80 targets in Iran, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Tuesday, in response to attacks on three vessels in the Strait of Hormuz that Washington attributed to Tehran.
In a statement posted on X, the U.S. military said that American forces targeted Iranian air defense systems, command-and-control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 small boats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The strikes came after three vessels were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz within a 24-hour period, including a Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, which Doha accused Iran of targeting, despite an existing ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran.
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported that the three tankers came under attack between Monday and Tuesday.
According to UKMTO, the first vessel was struck on its port side by an unidentified projectile while sailing off the coast of Oman, causing a fire to break out on board.
A U.S. official told Axios that the latest operation was four to five times larger in scale and firepower than previous U.S. strikes conducted in the Strait of Hormuz region ten days earlier.
The official added that U.S. President Donald Trump approved the strike plan and issued the execution order while he was in Turkey attending the NATO Summit.
AFP
