Image source, ReutersPublished7 July 2026, 22:27 BSTUpdated Just nowThe US has launched a series of "powerful" strikes on Iran in response to attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command (Centcom) said on Tuesday it had begun the assault, "to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent individuals in an international waterway".
The tankers were damaged within a 24-hour period on Monday and Tuesday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
Earlier on Tuesday, a US official said Iran would be met with consequences and called the attacks "wholly unacceptable".
Iran has not claimed responsbility for the strikes on the tankers.
Centcom said in a statement posted to X that US strikes were "in response to Iranian attacks".
"Iran's demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire," it said.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia have also denounced the attacks, with each saying a tanker from its country had been hit as it was transiting in or near the Strait.
On Tuesday, the US had revoked a sanctions waiver that temporarily lifted oil sanctions on Iran.
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