DUBAI: The US military launched a series of strikes against Iran early Wednesday (Jul 7), hours after three merchant ships were struck in the waters off Oman in the Strait of Hormuz.The renewed attacks from both sides threaten the interim deal reached last month, with the US and Iran both saying the strikes violate that initial agreement. The fresh assaults will add to the difficulty of the negotiations aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program and reaching a permanent end to the war launched Feb 28.In a statement posted to social media, US Central Command said American forces launched the strikes “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”“Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire,” the command said in their statement.
The latest exchange followed a similar spate of Iranian attacks on shipping and US retaliation that occurred late last month.Hours after the three tankers were struck by projectiles, and the United States revoked a license that had authorized the sale of Iranian oil as part of the interim deal to end the fighting between the US and Iran.The new assaults in the fuel-shipping waterway were the most in a single day since late April, according to the UN International Maritime Organisation. The fresh attacks threatened to choke off the flow of traffic in the strait just as countries hoped to restore normal shipping practices and ease the global economic strain of the war.A US official said the license was revoked because Iran’s actions in the strait were unacceptable and needed to be met with consequences. The official spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to share insight into the reasoning behind the move.The Iranian mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
