US Launches Fresh Strikes on Iran Following Attack on Commercial Vessel

The U.S. military executed a new round of strikes against Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.

The operation followed an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) missile attack that heavily damaged a commercial cargo ship and prompted Tehran to declare the strategic waterway closed until further notice.

Ceasefire Collapses Over Maritime Standoff

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that the strikes commenced at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday.

The action marks the third round of American bombardment against Iran within a single week, effectively ending a fragile ceasefire that originally sought to halt hostilities initiated on February 28.

The military escalation occurred just hours after international mediators concluded regional negotiations aimed at resolving the maritime standoff.

Washington had previously demanded that Tehran publicly guarantee safe passage through the strait as a prerequisite for halting the cycle of violence.

Instead, Iranian forces targeted the M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the southern corridor.

CENTCOM reported that the vessel sustained significant engine-room damage and an onboard fire, leaving it unable to continue its journey, while a civilian crew member remains missing.

Radars and Missile Sites Targeted

In direct response to the maritime strike, the U.S. military launched targeted operations against Iranian strategic infrastructure.

A U.S. official stated that the strikes hit air and surface-surveillance radars, missile and drone storage and launch facilities, and surface-to-air missile launchers.

CENTCOM stated that "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."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added on X, "Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay."

The IRGC claimed it fired a "warning shot" after the vessel ignored instructions to take an unauthorized route, and subsequently declared that the corridor would remain closed until the end of American regional intervention.

The effective blockade of the passage, which previously handled one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, has triggered a sharp increase in global energy prices and exacerbated inflationary pressures.

Diplomatic Efforts Stall

The military confrontation coincides with a breakdown in diplomatic negotiations hosted in Muscat.

Omani mediators had proposed fully reopening the southern shipping lane through Omani territorial waters without any requirement for prior approval, restoring pre-war navigation rules.

The targeted commercial ship was utilizing this specific southern route when it was struck.

The Iranian delegation was unable to approve the Omani proposal in Muscat and referred the text back to Tehran for internal deliberation before the IRGC announced the closure.

Compounding regional tensions, Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a written statement promising vengeance for the death of his father, the previous supreme leader, killed in the opening phase of the war.

"We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs," the text stated.

The rhetoric follows intelligence reports shared by Israel indicating that Tehran had devised a plot to assassinate President Donald Trump, who recently warned that the U.S. military is prepared to launch thousands of missiles if such an attempt is made.