A Cyprus-flagged ship came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz early on Sunday, with Iranian forces opening fire as tensions in the region escalated sharply.
Shortly afterwards, the naval arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed until further notice, while the United States responded with a new wave of strikes against Iranian positions in the wider area.
CENTCOM statement
US Central Command said its forces began a third round of attacks against Iran this week at 7.15 pm Eastern Time on Saturday, or 2.15 am in Cyprus on Sunday, after forces from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked the M/V GFS Galaxy.
CENTCOM described the vessel as a Cyprus-flagged container ship that had been crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
One civilian crew member is missing, while the ship is unable to continue its voyage because of a fire on board and significant damage to its engine room, according to the statement.
CENTCOM said Iran had been given another opportunity to demonstrate compliance with the memorandum of cooperation after being called to account for previous attacks on commercial vessels, but had failed again.
The United States was therefore imposing a high cost and continuing to reduce Iran’s ability to attack civilian seafarers and commercial ships passing freely through the strait, it said.
The strikes were carried out under the direction of the US commander-in-chief, according to CENTCOM.
US forces later launched another wave of raids against Iranian military positions in the wider Strait of Hormuz area, saying the operation was conducted in response to the attack on the civilian vessel and aimed to safeguard freedom of navigation.
Ship reportedly hit by cruise missile
Iran’s navy said late on Saturday that it had fired warning shots at a vessel that allegedly tried to cross the strait using an unauthorised route.
According to Iran, the ship had switched off its transponder, which continuously broadcasts its position.
The semi-official Fars news agency reported that the ship was hit by a cruise missile after ignoring calls from the Iranian authorities.
The United States responded by striking positions in Sirik, Bandar Abbas and Minab. Air defences were also activated in Tehran.
It was the third US attack on Iran in the past week, a development also confirmed by CENTCOM.
Iranian state television reported that, following the incident, the Strait of Hormuz would be closed “until US intervention in the region stops”.
It also said no vessel would be allowed to pass through the strait and warned that, should the enemy use the incident as a pretext for further attacks against the Islamic Republic, it would receive a “harsh response”.
Oman, meanwhile, proposed two separate routes through the strait during talks with Iran in Muscat.
Tehran had already expressed opposition to the proposal, although the two sides agreed to continue technical and political talks on navigation in the region.
Explosions were heard early on Sunday in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
The Revolutionary Guards claimed they had struck a base in Jordan used by the United States to operate MQ-9 drones, as well as the US Fifth Fleet base in Qatar.
The attacks indicate that Iran has not entirely lost its ability to carry out ballistic missile strikes.