The US Central Command announced on Tuesday that its forces launched a series of attacks on Iran in response to what it said were Iranian attacks on three commercial ships that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Our forces have begun a series of aggressive strikes on Iran "to pay the price for targeting and attacking commercial shipping," the CENTCOM said in a statement, adding, "The aggression shown by Iran was unjustified, dangerous and a clear violation of the ceasefire."
In a subsequent statement, U.S. Central Command announced that its new round of offensive strikes against Iran targeted more than 80 targets using precision munitions.
"US forces have targeted Iranian air defence systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 IRGC small boats in and around the strait, with the aim of weakening Iran's ability to attack international trade passing through the strait," it added.
Iran's top Joint Military Command said the US military had targeted parts of southern Iran in a "blatant aggression", stressing that its armed forces would give a "crushing response" to US attacks.
"We affirm that we will not allow American interference in the management of the Strait of Hormuz," she added, noting that "the only safe route for commercial ships and oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz is the one determined by Iran."
IRGC Bombs 85 US Facilities
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday (July 8th) that it had targeted dozens of US military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to US strikes, in a statement carried by state television.
"In an initial response to this aggression, the IRGC's naval and aerospace forces carried out a joint operation using drone missiles, targeting 85 major US military installations" in the two countries, and also shot down an MQ-9 drone, the statement said.
Kalbiaf: Iran does not acquiesce
The Speaker of Iran's Parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, on Wednesday (July 8th) accused the United States of committing grave violations of the Memorandum of Understanding to end the war, pointing to the US attacks on Iran, the re-imposition of oil sanctions, threats to continue strikes, the violation of Iranian "arrangements" in the Strait of Hormuz, and the continuation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
In a post on the "X" platform, Qalibaf said, "The era of bullying and blackmail is over... We are not giving in."
Iran's Foreign Ministry had warned of a "decisive" response after the US strikes, the first known US military attacks on Iran since late last month, when the two sides exchanged strikes over several days.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry pointed out that the United States has repeatedly violated the memorandum of understanding between the two countries, in light of the continued attacks on Lebanon.
"Iran issues a serious warning about the consequences of the United States' violation of the agreement," the ministry said in a statement published on its Telegram channel, stressing that it "will take decisive measures to protect its interests and national security."
Iranian media: Bazshkian interrupts his visit to Iraq
Iranian state television reported hearing a series of explosions in the Strait of Hormuz region, noting that it heard 6 explosions on Iran's Qeshm Island and 7 in the city of Sirik, as well as explosions in Bandar Abbas, the main port in the south of the country.
He added that President Massoud Bezishkian cut short his visit to Iraq and returned to the country after the US strikes , noting that he crossed yesterday with delegations of the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to Najaf at the head of his country's delegation accompanying the body to Najaf and Karbala before the last stop in the city of Mashhad.
The United States on Tuesday lifted a temporary waiver of sanctions on Iranian oil after three tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.
Oman has proposed a temporary transit corridor adjacent to its coast, which Iran opposes as it seeks to impose a service charge on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Renewed targeting of tankers in Hormuz
Three tankers were subjected to security incidents near the vital corridor yesterday, at a time when Tehran linked the start of negotiations on the final agreement to the cessation of US President Donald Trump's threats.
The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority said that a tanker was hit by an unknown drone while crossing the strait, without injuries or environmental impacts, noting that the liquefied natural gas tanker "Rakyat" was attacked that caused a fire in the engine room and made it vulnerable to explosion, while another crude oil tanker was damaged near the coast of the Sultanate of Oman.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia condemned Iran's targeting of the Saudi tankers "Wadyan" and the Qatari tanker "Al-Rakyat" during the crossing of the Strait of Hormuz, noting that these unacceptable attacks are an attack on the security and safety of international navigation, and the security of global energy supplies.
For its part, Qatar held Iran fully legally responsible for the targeting of the tanker, demanding an end to practices that threaten navigation and energy supplies.
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