Key facts
- The U.S. conducted airstrikes hitting over 80 targets in Iran, including defense systems and IRGC assets.
- The strikes followed attacks on three commercial oil vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
- U.S. Central Command cited "unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces" as the reason for the strikes.
- The Trump administration revoked a sanctions waiver for Iranian oil and petrochemical sales.
- Iran retaliated with drone strikes on U.S. bases and shot down an MQ-9 drone.
The Trump administration announced Tuesday that recent airstrikes against Iran were a direct response to "unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces" after three commercial oil vessels in the Strait of Hormuz came under attack. U.S. Central Command (Centcom) stated that the strikes hit over 80 targets, including Iranian defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 small boats belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Centcom characterized the Iranian actions as a "clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire" and stated its readiness to hold Iran accountable. The U.S. strikes occurred shortly after the Trump administration revoked a sanctions waiver that had allowed the sale of Iranian oil and petrochemicals, a waiver that was part of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at halting hostilities and finalizing a peace agreement.
President Trump told reporters at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, that he considered the MOU "over" and described dealing with Iran as a "waste of time," calling their leadership "scum."
In response, Iran’s Speaker of Parliament, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire, asserting on X that "the era of bullying and extortion is over." Iran’s military initiated retaliatory actions early Wednesday, launching drone strikes on several U.S. bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, and downing an American MQ-9 drone over Bushehr Province. These actions were termed an "initial response."
The developments follow days of mourning in Iran, with millions attending the funeral procession for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in earlier U.S. and Israeli strikes on February 28.