US Launches Major Strikes on Iran in Response to Hormuz Tanker Attacks

The United States has conducted a new wave of "powerful" offensive strikes against Iran, targeting over 80 sites with precision munitions. US Central Command (Centcom) confirmed the operation on Tuesday, describing it as an immediate response to Iran's recent attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. These attacks included strikes on three tankers: the Marshall Islands-flagged Al Rekayyat, the Saudi Arabia-flagged Wedyan, and the Liberian-flagged Cyprus Prosperity. Centcom characterized Iran's actions as a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and a threat to freedom of navigation.

Scope and Objectives of US Retaliation

The US strikes targeted Iranian air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and over 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) small boats in and near the Strait of Hormuz. Centcom stated the operation was designed to impose heavy costs for targeting commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians and to degrade Iran's ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the trade corridor.

Iranian Retaliation and Accusations

In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a joint missile and drone operation on Wednesday, targeting 85 sites at important US military facilities. According to Al Jazeera, the IRGC claimed strikes hit the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain and the Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait. Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf alleged a major violation by the US of the June Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that had led to the cessation of war, warning of persistent threats of further strikes.

Escalation Undermines Fragile Truce and Oil Markets

The recent escalation undermines the fragile truce reached between Washington and Tehran in June. Key oil benchmarks rose sharply on Wednesday morning, with Brent crude up nearly 2.7% to $76.2 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rising nearly 2.7% to $72.3 per barrel. The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) revoked a June license that had given Iran a two-month reprieve to sell oil, sending prices higher by more than 3%. Analysts noted that crude oil is pricing in a deterioration in geopolitical risk and the possibility of another closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with any prolonged disruption to Persian Gulf exports potentially swinging the market from abundance to scarcity.

Diplomatic Fallout and Interpretive Disputes

Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the US decision to revoke the temporary suspension of sanctions on Iran's oil exports, calling it a clear and material breach of Article 10 of the June 18 MoU on the cessation of war. Iran warned it would take any measures necessary to safeguard its national interests and security. Analysts highlighted that the MoU included provisions aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz but left important details on control and traffic management deliberately ambiguous. Iran maintained that parts of the strait fall within its territorial waters, while the US position was that it is an international waterway with rights of transit passage for all nations. This fundamental difference in interpretation was never fully resolved, leading to an uneven reopening where Iran periodically asserts its leverage through warnings, inspections, or direct actions.