The US armed forces initiated a third series of strikes against Iranian targets this week following an attack by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. According to a statement on X from US Central Command (CENTCOM), the strikes are a response to an IRGC attack on the GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the strait. One civilian crew member is missing. The vessel is unable to continue its route due to an onboard fire and damage to its engine room.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. CENTCOM stated that Iran was provided an opportunity to demonstrate adherence to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) after prior attacks on commercial vessels but failed to comply. “In response, the United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait,” the CENTCOM statement read. The command noted that the strikes were carried out at the direction of the commander in chief – a reference to US President Donald Trump. The operations follow a prior wave of strikes on Saturday. According to Axios, US forces targeted approximately 140 Iranian military sites using precision weaponry launched from land, sea, and air platforms. A US official stated that the targets included air and ground surveillance radar stations, missile and drone storage facilities, launch pads, and surface-to-air missile installations.