US launches second night of strikes against Iran after ship struck by drone
The attacks come after an Iranian drone allegedly struck another commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. For a second day in a
The attacks come after an Iranian drone allegedly struck another commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. For a second day in a row, the United States has launched strikes against Iran, once again citing an attack against a commercial vessel as a motivation. Saturday’s renewed attacks are the latest indication that a regional Middle East ceasefire, established as part of a June 17 memorandum of understanding (MOU), might be at a breaking point. In a statement, the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which directs military action in the Middle East, explained that the latest attacks came “at the Commander in Chief’s direction”. “CENTCOM forces launched strikes today in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping,” the military command centre wrote.
“U.S. military aircraft targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities.” Explosions were reported in southern Iran around the village of Tahrui, near the port of Sirik, which was also the focal point of Friday’s US attacks. Saturday’s strikes against Iran followed a similar playbook to Friday’s. Early on Saturday morning, around 4:30am Eastern US time (8:00 GMT), the Panama-flagged tanker Kiku was travelling through the Strait of Hormuz when it was reportedly hit by an unidentified projectile. No crew members were injured, and no leakage was reported from its cargo. CENTCOM said the ship had been carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil when it was hit by a “one-way attack drone”.
The website MarineTraffic.com indicates that the tanker had left the Al Shaheen oil field on Thursday and is due to dock at Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates, on Sunday. A similar sequence of events prompted Friday’s volley of US attacks. In that case, a Singapore-registered contained ship, the Ever Lovely, was struck by a drone as it sailed through the Hormuz Strait on Thursday. No one on board was injured, and the boat continued on its travels. Still, US President Donald Trump denounced the drone strike on Friday as a “foolish violation” of the June 17 memorandum. By that evening, the US and Iran had exchanged fire, with the US targeting the area around Sirik and Iran hitting US military installations in the Middle East.
CENTCOM referenced Friday’s actions in announcing the latest round of strikes. “After yesterday’s U.S. strikes in response to the Iranian attack on M/V Ever Lovely, Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement,” CENTCOM wrote. Iran “elected not to”, it added, citing the Kiku drone strike. CENTCOM also maintained that commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a sticking point in ceasefire negotiations, would continue, with US military backing. “U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” CENTCOM said in its statement.
The BriefWire