The US military has launched a series ‌of strikes against Iran, US Central Command said Tuesday, ​adding that the strikes were in response to what it said were Iranian attacks on ​three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait ⁠of Hormuz. “US Central Command forces have ‌begun ‌launching ​a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy ⁠costs for targeting ​and attacking commercial shipping,” ​a US military statement said. “Iran’s demonstrated ‌aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, ​and a clear violation of the ceasefire,” ⁠it added.It was ⁠unclear ​what specifically the US targeted but Iranian media said six projectiles hit the area of Taheroui pier in Sirik in southern Iran. This marks the first known US military ‌strikes against ⁠Iran since late last month, when there were several days of strikes and ‌counterstrikes between the two.Iran’s ‌foreign ministry condemned the US treasury’s ‌move to revoke the temporary ​suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil sales, saying the ​decision breached the Islamabad memorandum ⁠on ending the war ‌and ‌holding ​Washington responsible for the consequences.The ministry ⁠said ​Iran would ​take any measure ‌it deemed necessary to ​safeguard its interests and ⁠national ⁠security.The ​United States reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil on Tuesday, as a US official warned that ‌Iran’s attacks ⁠on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz ‌were “wholly unacceptable” and would ​be met with consequences.Earlier, the British military said three tankers were struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz.The US treasury issued the 60-day licence last month, waiving sanctions on Iranian oil as part of an interim agreement to end the fighting.The earlier assaults in the strait were the most in a single day since late April, according to United Nations International Maritime Organisation figures.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.One tanker was travelling off the coast of Oman when it was hit and caught fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre said. Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings but did not directly claim the assault.Graphic: PA The other two ships sustained some damage, but no one was injured, and both continued on their way, the UK maritime agency said.Tehran, which has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe, is suspected of attacking other ships that have used another route close to the Omani shore.Location details provided by the UK agency show all three attacks occurred off the coast of Oman or the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, making it likely that the ships were using the route near Oman.The US is eager to press ahead with negotiations with Iran aimed at fully reopening the strait, rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme and reaching a permanent end to the war launched on February 28th. An interim deal has been strained.Previous attacks in the strait have sparked retaliatory strikes by the US. Iran then attacked Gulf Arab states.One tanker was carrying liquid natural gas south through the strait near Limah, Oman, when a projectile hit the left-side engine room and sparked a fire, the UKMTO said.Iranian state TV, quoting anonymous sources, implied that Tehran carried out the assault on a tanker it said was carrying natural gas from Qatar. However, there was no official claim from the Islamic Republic for the attack.[ Crowds march through Tehran to mourn slain Iranian leader Ali KhameneiOpens in new window ]Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Qatari foreign ministry, said the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat was targeted in an “unacceptable attack” on international navigation and global energy security. He called it a “serious and explicit violation” of international law.In a post on X, he said Qatar holds Iran “fully legally responsible” for the attack.Later Tuesday, the UK maritime agency reported that an oil tanker was hit on its left side as it exited the strait near the Omani-Emirati border. A third tanker was struck by a drone off Oman, the agency said.Iran’s joint military command warned last Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the strait must use its approved routes. It also said that interference by US forces in the strait “will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction”.Ships going to the north on the Iranian route must register with Tehran. Those going south work with Oman and the US.Speaking on Monday at the White House, US president Donald Trump warned Iran that it would need to “make a deal, or we’re going to finish the job”.“I’d rather make a deal, because I don’t want to affect 91 million people,” Mr Trump said. “We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply.”In peacetime, a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the channel. – Reuters/AP