DUBAI — The US military launched new strikes against Iran early on Wednesday, in response to attacks on three merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz, in the latest escalation that threatens the interim deal aimed at ending the fighting between the two countries.US Central Command said it had hit over 80 targets, including more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boats in the strait.Iran’s deputy foreign minister called the US attacks a violation of the US-Iran memorandum signed last month, and warned that Tehran would “take decisive measures”.In a statement posted to social media, US Central Command said American forces launched the strikes “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”“Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire,” the command said in their statement.Hours after the three tankers were struck by projectiles, and the US Treasury revoked a license that had authorized the sale of Iranian oil as part of the interim deal.Iran has not directly claimed responsibility for the attacks on the three tankers that led to the US launching strikes.The new attacks in the waterway were the heaviest in a single day since late April, according to the UN International Maritime Organization. The fresh attacks threatened to choke off the flow of traffic in the strait just as countries hoped to restore normal shipping practices and ease the global economic strain of the war.Iranian state media said strikes hit Qeshm island, Bandar Abbas and Sirik, where people have been injured by shrapnel.The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the US move to revoke the license, saying in a statement that it violates the interim deal and that “the US government bears responsibility for the consequences of this breach of commitment.”Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, also said in a post on X that the new attacks by the US are a violation of that agreement.The US Central Command said the strikes were “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent individuals in an international waterway”.One tanker was traveling off the coast of Oman when it was hit and caught fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.The other two ships sustained some damage, but no one was injured, and both continued on their way, the UK maritime agency said.Tehran, which has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe, is suspected of attacking other ships that have used another route close to the Omani shore.Location details provided by the UK agency showed that all three attacks occurred off the coast of Oman or the neighboring United Arab Emirates, making it likely that the ships were using the route near Oman.The license issued by the US authorized the production, delivery and sale of Iranian oil through Aug. 21. US Vice President JD Vance said at the time that lengthy talks with senior Iranian officials in Switzerland created a “good foundation for a successful final deal” to end the war.US sanctions on the purchase of Iranian oil had been in place since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. After the US and Israel launched the war, and after the closure of the strait, the US had authorized the temporary sale of Iranian oil at least twice as an incentive toward a deal.Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat was targeted in an “unacceptable attack” on international navigation and global energy security. He called it a “serious and explicit violation” of international law.In a post on X, he said Qatar holds Iran “fully legally responsible.”The Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational body overseen by the US Navy, told shippers Monday that the route around Oman “has been expanded and remains available for all traffic.”Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the vessels’ routes and later charge fees for passage, which would upend decades of practice in the waterway.The US and many Gulf Arab states say they will not agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait.The data firm Kpler reported that at least 108 ships crossed through the strait last weekend using various routes.
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