U.S. launches strikes on Iranian military sites after attack on cargo ship

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Friday that it carried out strikes against Iranian military targets on Friday in response to what it described as Iran’s attack on a commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier.

The attacks marked the most significant escalation since the ceasefire was announced. Washington said the operation was calibrated to protect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz while preserving room for diplomacy.

Iran condemned the strikes as a violation of the ceasefire and warned that any further attacks would trigger a broader response.

The exchange came as QatarEnergy-chartered LNG tanker Umm Slal became the latest vessel to reverse course near the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting renewed concerns over energy shipments through the critical waterway.

Separately, Israel and Lebanon signed a U.S.-brokered framework under which the Lebanese army will gradually assume security responsibilities in parts of southern Lebanon, while the government works toward disarming non-state armed groups.

The agreement also commits the U.S. to provide humanitarian and military assistance to Lebanon and lays the groundwork for negotiations on a broader peace and security accord.

President Donald Trump earlier on Friday said Iran shot at least four drones at ships transiting the critical Strait of Hormuz and hit one cargo vessel, in what he called a “foolish violation” of the ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran shot at least four One Way Attack Drones at Ships transversing the Strait of Hormuz. One of the Drones solidly hit the upper deck of a large and very expensive Cargo Carrying Ship. Damage was done, but the Ship was able to proceed on its way. We knocked down three other Drones,” Trump posted on his Truth Social service.

The attack led to a pause in an evacuation process through the strait overseen by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The United Nations body had earlier this week on Tuesday said it would start a coordinated large-scale evacuation of over 11,000 seafarers on stranded ships in the vital waterway in close cooperation with Iran, Oman, coastal Gulf countries, and the U.S.

According to CENTCOM, U.S. aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage facilities as well as coastal radar sites after Iran allegedly used a one-way attack drone to hit the M/V Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged cargo ship, on June 25 while it was exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast.

The U.S. said the attack on the commercial vessel constituted an unprovoked act of aggression and violated the ceasefire, while also undermining freedom of navigation through one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes. CENTCOM said U.S. forces continue to coordinate and support the safe passage of commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and remain deployed in the region to ensure compliance with the ceasefire agreement with Iran.

The IMO on Thursday said it had halted the plan after the attack on the ship near Oman. As per the IMO, the vessel did not transit under the UN body’s evacuation framework. The WSJ report said that Iran’s IRGC had warned that any attempt to cross the Strait of Hormuz along the IMO’s designated route would be “unacceptable and completely dangerous.”

Oil prices slid on Friday, as overall shipping traffic through the strait remained resilient despite the attack on the ship and Trump’s assertion that it was a ceasefire violation. According to Kpler data, there were 54 verified crossings through the chokepoint on Thursday, representing a “broad mix” of commercial and energy-linked vessels. Brent crude futures expiring in September, the global oil benchmark, were last down 4% to $72.51 a barrel.

Jaiveer Shekhawat contributed to this article