The United States on Monday announced it had conducted "powerful" strikes against Iranian missile and drone storage facilities, as well as coastal radar sites, in retaliation for a drone attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. The action escalates tensions in already fragile US-Iran negotiations.
US Military Response
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that its forces carried out the strikes on June 26 as a "powerful response" to the previous day's attack on the Singapore-flagged cargo ship M/V Ever Lovely. According to CENTCOM, "US aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites after Iran hit M/V Ever Lovely on June 25 with a one-way attack drone."
The cargo ship was exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast when it was struck. The US condemned the attack as "unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping" that violated the ceasefire and undermined freedom of navigation through the vital international trade corridor. CENTCOM added that it continues to provide safe passage coordination and support to commercial vessels transiting the strait.
Iranian Condemnation
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) condemned the US strikes, asserting that they violated commitments. The IRGC reiterated that the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) grants Tehran control over traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
Presidential Reaction
US President Donald Trump characterized the Iranian drone attack on the Ever Lovely as "a foolish violation" of the deal. The US military emphasized that it remains present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect.
UNIMO Pauses Evacuation
The United Nations' International Maritime Organisation (IMO) paused its Strait of Hormuz evacuation initiative following the attack in the Gulf of Oman. The IMO had begun evacuating 600 ships and approximately 11,000 mariners stranded by the closure of the strait during the US-Israeli war on Iran. The evacuation plan involved two routes: one via Iranian waters and another via Omani waters under US oversight.
