The United States military launched a major wave of retaliatory strikes

Report By Y-Trandz

The United States military launched a major wave of retaliatory strikes against Iran late Tuesday, July 7, after Iranian forces attacked three commercial tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, further straining

the fragile ceasefire that has held since the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding last month.

U.S. Central Command announced on social media that it had begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by civilians in an international waterway, and said the operation was a direct response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the strait, which it called an unwarranted and dangerous violation of the ceasefire. A U.S. official described the new wave as larger than earlier retaliatory strikes, with the operation targeting air defenses, coastal surveillance sites, surface-to-air missile batteries, anti-ship cruise missile sites, drone launch sites and port facilities, carried out by Air Force jets and Navy tactical aircraft. Video verified by NBC News showed multiple explosions at the port of Bandar Abbas, and Iranian state media separately reported blasts in the port city of Sirik and on Qeshm Island, according to CNN.

The strikes followed a chaotic day in the Gulf. Three tankers were hit by projectiles and drones as they moved through the strait: the Qatari-flagged LNG carrier al-Rakiyat was struck near Oman's coast and caught fire in its engine room, the Saudi-flagged crude carrier Wedyan was damaged by what Reuters described as an Iranian-fired missile, and a third vessel was hit by a drone off Oman. No casualties were reported, and Britain's UKMTO maritime monitor confirmed all three incidents occurred in or near Omani waters. Iran did not formally claim the attacks, though its state broadcaster suggested one tanker had been struck after ignoring warnings to use routes approved by Iranian forces. A U.S. official told CNN the strikes amounted to a "gross violation" of the memorandum of understanding with Iran. Qatar and Saudi Arabia both condemned the attacks on their vessels; Riyadh called them an assault on the security and safety of international navigation and on global energy supplies.

In a parallel economic move, the U.S. Treasury Department revoked a waiver that had authorized Iran to export oil and petrochemicals, a concession granted under the memorandum. A U.S. official said the sale license was pulled because Tehran's conduct in the strait was unacceptable, adding that the interim deal is entirely performance-based and that Iran will only reap benefits if it exhibits good behavior, with its actions in the strait to be met with consequences. Iran's foreign ministry condemned the sanctions decision as a breach of the agreement, warning that Washington bears responsibility for the fallout. Brent crude futures jumped as much as 5% on the news, according to CNN, before settling near a roughly 2% gain earlier in the day, according to the Washington Times.

The exchange is not without precedent — CNN and NBC both note it echoes a similar cycle in late June, when Iran struck a single commercial ship in the strait and the U.S. answered with about ten strikes on military targets, after which Iran escalated further with attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait. This time, the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization said the new assaults marked the busiest day of attacks in the waterway since late April, according to NPR.

The timing is politically fraught. The strikes came as Iran holds a multi-day state funeral for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the U.S.-Israeli strikes that opened the war on February 28. Mourners have chanted for revenge against President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu throughout the procession. Separately, Trump was in Ankara, Turkey, for the NATO summit, where he told reporters he was "very disappointed" with NATO's response to the broader conflict with Iran, while praising Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as an important partner in the effort.

A U.S. official summed up the intent of the strikes to CNN simply: "This is punishment. It won't be over for a bit." The renewed fighting raises fresh doubts about whether Washington and Tehran can reach the permanent settlement they have been negotiating since mid-June, with unresolved issues including restrictions on Iran's nuclear program, its uranium stockpile, and long-term rules governing safe passage through one of the world's most important oil corridors — a route through which roughly a fifth of global seaborne crude normally flows.

This is a fast-moving situation and further developments, including any Iranian response or additional U.S. action, should be expected in the coming hours.