The United States carried out a third round of strikes against Iran this week, targeting about 140 military sites in retaliation for another attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday.
The latest operation brought the total number of Iranian targets struck by US forces to more than 300 over three nights, according to CENTCOM.
The command said the strikes were ordered by President Donald Trump to weaken Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The military action came after Iran fired on a Cyprus-flagged container ship that Tehran said had ignored repeated instructions to follow an approved shipping corridor.
According to an AFP report citing IRNA, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards described the attack as warning shots, but CENTCOM said the vessel was “blatantly attacked.”
One crew member was reported missing, while the ship was disabled by a fire and damage to its engine room.
“In response, the United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait. The strikes are being carried out at the direction of the Commander in Chief,” CENTCOM said on X.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also warned Tehran over the attack, saying on X that “Iran had “made a poor choice and would now “pay” the price.
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Iran closes Strait of Hormuz
Following the strikes, Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed “until further notice” and until what it called the end of US intervention in the region.
“Due to the emergence of this insecurity resulting from illegal intervention by foreigners, the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice and until the end of American interventions in this region, and no vessels will be allowed to pass through,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said, as cited by Tasnim News Agency.
The IRGC also warned that Iran would respond severely to any new attack launched under the pretext of the incident and could target additional enemy bases in the region.
The closure of the strait, which carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas trade, marks the latest escalation in the conflict between Tehran and Washington.
Iran has maintained that it has the right to regulate shipping through the strategic waterway, while the US insists that commercial vessels must be allowed to pass freely.
Ceasefire under growing pressure
The renewed exchange of attacks has further weakened the diplomatic agreement aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East, which began in late February with large-scale US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump declared on his Truth Social platform that the “ceasefire with Iran is over,” but said Washington is still open to the possibility of renewed negotiations.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks.’ We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!” Trump wrote.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi argued that Tehran had complied with the memorandum of understanding reached between the two sides last month.
“Iran has so far kept its word, unlike the so-called US Treasury Secretary who is violating Para 9 of the MoU. That violation follows other violations and missteps by the United States,” Aragachi wrote on X.
“Reality check: There can only be mutual compliance,” he added.
Currently, mediators continue their efforts to revive the ceasefire agreement, with Iranian media reporting that a Qatari delegation traveled to Iran on Friday to strengthen Doha’s role as a mediator.
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