The United States struck more than 80 Iranian targets early Wednesday in response to Iran’s attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating iran war news and threatening the fragile ceasefire that had been in place since mid-June. U.S. Central Command said the operation targeted air defenses, radar sites, anti-ship missile sites, and more than 60 small boats operated by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
The strikes, ordered by President Trump while he was attending a NATO summit in Turkey, came hours after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard attacked three merchant ships—the Qatari liquid natural gas tanker Al-Rekayat, the Saudi crude oil supertanker Wedyan, and a third vessel—transiting the Strait of Hormuz along a southern route that Iranian authorities have warned against using. CENTCOM characterized the Iranian attacks as “a clear violation of the ceasefire.”
In an immediate response to the US strikes, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard targeted American military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait with drone and missile attacks. Kuwait’s military said its air defenses were “currently confronting hostile missile and drone attacks,” while Bahrain’s Interior Ministry activated alarm sirens across the country. Neither country reported significant casualties, though Bahrain said Iranian strikes damaged a residential building near its international airport.
The escalation marked a dramatic unraveling of the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 17 by President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which had been designed to manage the conflict and lay ground for a final peace agreement within 60 days. Trump told reporters that the ceasefire is “over,” while Iranian officials accused the US of violating the agreement. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a key negotiator in the original deal, pointed to the US strikes and the revocation of Iran’s oil sales waiver as “major” violations.
On Tuesday, the US Treasury Department revoked a waiver that had allowed Iran to sell oil and petrochemicals without facing American sanctions—a significant revenue source that had been negotiated as part of the ceasefire terms. The administration said the action was in response to Iran’s “wholly unacceptable” attacks on commercial shipping. Oil prices spiked in response: Brent crude rose 5.5% to just under $76 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate jumped more than 5% to just over $72 per barrel, reflecting renewed uncertainty over the critical Strait of Hormuz trade corridor.
The chain of events exposed the fragility of the ceasefire that had held since early April. Iran’s attacks on the tankers violated the memorandum’s requirement that Tehran “make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels” through the strait. Iranian officials countered that the US violated the deal by launching strikes and revoking the oil sales license. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Iran would not resume negotiations “as long as threats continue,” citing the memorandum’s clause requiring both sides to “refrain from the threat or use of force against each other.”
The strikes also highlighted the complexity of broader ceasefire negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had stated earlier that Iran would not sign a final agreement until Israel fully withdrew from Lebanese territory, linking the US-Iran deal to the separate Israeli-Hezbollah conflict that has been a sticking point in peace talks.
Sources
- CBS News — Details on the 80+ US strikes targeting air defenses, radar sites, anti-ship missiles, and 60+ small boats; Iran’s attacks on three tankers; Kuwait and Bahrain air defense responses; US Treasury revocation of Iran’s oil sales waiver; Trump’s statement that the ceasefire is “over”; Iranian officials’ accusations of US violations; oil price movements.
- CNN — Confirmation of more than 80 Iranian targets hit by US Central Command; oil sanctions reimposition.
- AP News — Iran’s targeting of Bahrain and Kuwait with drone and missile attacks in response to US strikes; Trump’s statement on the ceasefire.
- Reuters — Details on attacks against three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz; Iranian foreign ministry’s accusations of US violations of the memorandum of understanding.
- Al Jazeera — Trump’s statement that the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran is “over”; broader context on the ceasefire agreement.
- The Hill — Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain; Iranian threats to halt negotiations.
- USA Today — US military’s launch of strikes in response to Strait of Hormuz attacks; ceasefire fragility.
