US strikes Iranian coastal sites after tankers hit in Strait of Hormuz
US Central Command struck Iranian military sites along the southern coast on Tuesday, with explosions reported at the Sirik port, Qeshm Island and areas near Bandar Abbas — all positions that bear on control of the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM said it hit air-defense systems, coastal surveillance radars, surface-to-air batteries, antiship cruise missiles and drone sites. Iranian state media reported several people wounded by shrapnel at the Sirik commercial pier.
The strikes followed attacks on two commercial vessels in the strait: a Qatari tanker struck by projectiles on Monday and a Saudi crude carrier that Washington says was hit by Revolutionary Guard missiles. A US official called the attacks on shipping “wholly unacceptable” and warned of consequences. Iran’s foreign ministry held the United States responsible and said Tehran would take “any measure it deemed necessary” to protect its interests; no Iranian military response had been reported by early Wednesday.
The escalation unwinds the interim understanding reached after the recent US-Iran war. In a June memorandum, Washington agreed to ease sanctions in exchange for calm and unimpeded passage, but Tehran has continued to insist on controlling routing through the strait and levying fees on ships. On the same day as the strikes, the Treasury revoked the temporary suspension of oil sanctions , less than three weeks after granting it; crude prices rose about 5 percent. With talks on fully reopening the strait already frozen until after the burial of Iran’s supreme leader, the combination of military strikes and reimposed sanctions moves the two sides back toward open conflict.