U.S. attacks Iranian targets after tanker hit in the Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. military attacked a number of Iranian targets after a commercial tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was reported to have been struck by a projectile on Saturday.

The attacks were the latest escalation of tensions between the two countries in recent days, following an interim agreement meant to bring an end to hostilities in the region.

The U.S. military launched strikes on Iranian targets in the region, including “military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities,” according to an online statement late Saturday from the U.S. Central Command.

The strikes were in retaliation for an Iranian attack earlier in the day on a commercial tanker, Central Command said.

“Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to when its forces launched a one-way attack drone that hit M/T Kiku this morning at 4:30 a.m. ET,” the statement said. “The Panama-flagged tanker was transiting near the Strait of Hormuz with more than two-million barrels of crude oil.”

Bahrain also on Saturday condemned an Iranian drone strike as a “blatant violation” of its sovereignty.

Despite the barrage of attacks, Central Command said commercial vessel transits through the critical waterway continue.

The fresh attacks come as the U.S. and Iran are supposed to be engaging in a 60-day ceasefire as they hold talks to end their war. But both have accused the other of violating their end of the agreement.

The U.S. military struck Iran on Friday after President Donald Trump accused the Islamic Republic of “foolish violation” of a ceasefire agreement by launching drone attacks at ships in the strait. Central Command said its aircraft “struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites.”

That comes after a drone attack by Iran on Thursday struck the Singapore-flagged cargo ship Ever Lovely in the strait off the coast of Oman, Central Command said in a post on X. The vessel continued on its way through the strait, a major thoroughfare for oil shipments.

The renewed attacks come more than a week after Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at developing a permanent peace deal to end the war between their two nations.

After the U.S. strikes, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said in a statement: “Following the violation of the ceasefire by the Zionist regime in southern Lebanon, a few hours ago, the treaty-breaking US regime, as always, violated its commitments and, under various pretexts, attacked the coasts of the Islamic Republic of Iran with an airstrike due to the passage of a violating ship through an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz.”

“The IRGC Navy responded to this aggression by striking the positions of the US terrorist army in the region,” the IRGC said.

Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the national security commission of the Iranian parliament, in a post on X said, “The U.S. attacked Iran in the middle of negotiations once again.”

“The failed U.S. President has shown he has no commitment to the principles of negotiation or a ceasefire,” Azizi said.

“This reckless violation of the ceasefire will, as always, lead to retreat and regret on their part. The blame game does not work anymore.”

— CNBC’s Terri Cullen and Dan Mangan contributed to this report