US strikes Iranian targets in response to attack on cargo ship

The U.S. military carried out strikes Friday against Iranian military targets around the Strait of Hormuz in response to Tehran’s attack Thursday on a commercial ship near the key waterway, according to U.S. Central Command.

“US aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage sites as well as coastal radar sites,” CENTCOM said. “The unjustified aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire. »

Friday’s U.S. strikes do not reflect a return to major combat operations, at least for now, a U.S. official told CNN.

The strikes came after President Donald Trump on Friday called the drone strike on the ship in the Strait of Hormuz a “senseless violation” of the agreement to end the war with Iran, but gave no indication whether the episode would lead to a return to broader hostilities.

Asked Friday afternoon whether Iran would face any consequences, Trump simply told reporters in the Oval Office: “You’ll find out.”

The president first reacted to the strike Friday morning, hours after it took place.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran fired at least four one-way attack drones at ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. One of the drones landed solidly on the upper deck of a large and very expensive cargo ship,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“Some damage was caused, but the ship was able to continue on its way,” he wrote. “We shot down three more drones. Obviously this is a stupid violation of our ceasefire agreement.”

Hours later, Trump said the incident demonstrated that Iran had retained some of its military capabilities, despite America’s months of war.

“We still have a fight. They have some capacity, not much. They’re not winning or anything, but they have some capacity; they can still shoot,” he told a crowd of conservative Christians in Washington, DC.

“No one saw it coming,” he said of the Iranian strike, “and it hit a ship and caused damage. I can’t do that kind of thing.”

Later, at the Oval Office event, Trump did not say how or whether the United States might respond to the incident, which occurred a day earlier and underscored the continuing difficulties in restoring traffic to prewar levels on the critical waterway.

“I don’t like the fact that they shot yesterday,” Trump said when asked if he considered the ceasefire still in effect. “Not an Allied ship, but a ship. A very expensive ship and it was good, but it took a bit of a beating. They shouldn’t do that.”

Asked again whether the United States would respond, he said, “You’ll find out.” The president then abruptly dismissed the journalists.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the region, referenced Trump’s statement when initially asked about the attack. A Department of Defense X account posted three American flag emojis on a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post.

It is the first such incident since the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding to open the strait and launch deeper negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. Trump has given few signs that he is ready to resume the war, which he acknowledged last week could have led to “economic catastrophe” if it persisted.

Iran views control of the waterway as a key lever in negotiations. On Thursday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that safe passage would only be granted to ships via declared routes to Iran.

The U.S.-Iran deal stipulated that traffic through the strait would return to the same volume as before the war began, but did not provide detailed conditions for meeting those conditions.

The two sides offered divergent views on whether Iran would be able to charge fees for passing ships. Trump insisted the strait would remain free, but Tehran maintained it would have the right to charge ships passing through it.

Thursday’s attack came hours after Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards warned that ships could only pass safely through Iranian routes in the strait, disputing the Trump administration’s assertion that the waterway is free and open again. The United States lifted the blockade of Iranian ports once the deal was signed.

The cargo ship was struck on its starboard side by an unknown projectile, damaging the deck, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations, which monitors shipping traffic in the region. No casualties or environmental impacts were reported.

This headline and story have been updated with additional developments.

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