Key facts
- The area around Sirik in southern Iran was targeted in an attack claimed to be by the US military, according to ISNA.
- The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated its strikes were in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
- CENTCOM reported hitting over 80 targets with precision munitions.
- Iranian media reported explosions in Sirik, Qeshm Island, and near Bandar Abbas.
- Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs blamed Washington for breaching a recent memorandum of understanding.
The area around Sirik in southern Iran was targeted in what the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) claims was an attack by the US military. This incident is part of a broader exchange of attacks between the United States and Iran, escalating tensions in the region.
CENTCOM stated that its strikes, which began on Tuesday, were a response to Iran's attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The US command reported hitting over 80 targets with precision munitions. In retaliation, Iranian military leaders pledged a "crushing response" and vowed to prevent foreign interference in the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later claimed to have targeted 85 US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, and reported shooting down a US MQ9 drone in southern Iran.
Iranian media reported several explosions in the southern port city of Sirik, with projectiles hitting commercial and fishing piers, as well as Qeshm Island and areas near Bandar Abbas. Sirens were also heard in Kuwait and Bahrain as their air defenses confronted "hostile" missile and drone attacks. The US strikes reportedly targeted Iranian air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, antiship cruise missiles, and drone launch sites.
The flare-up occurs while US President Donald Trump is attending the NATO summit in Turkiye and risks derailing a recent agreement between the US and Iran to extend a ceasefire and enter into talks aimed at ending the war. NATO chief Mark Rutte deemed the US attacks "absolutely necessary" in response to Iran breaching the ceasefire. Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs held Washington responsible for breaching a memorandum of understanding signed in June, which extended a ceasefire and initiated talks, mandating the lifting of the US naval blockade on Iran in exchange for Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The US had also agreed to waive sanctions on Iranian oil for 60 days.