US launches strikes in response to attacks on merchant vessels in Hormuz, revokes exemption from Iran oil sanctions | Today’s news
The US military on Wednesday launched what it described as a “series of heavy strikes” against Iran, revoking the license that allows the country to sell oil. The US response came after Iran struck three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
“U.S. Central Command forces have launched a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose a high cost of targeting and attacking commercial ships manned by innocent civilians in an international waterway. The U.S. strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three merchant vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of U.S. command.
The US is attacking Iran
A US official told Reuters that the strikes targeted Iran’s air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles and drone launch sites.
According to Iranian media reports, explosions were heard in the southern port city of Sirik, Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas. The strikes hit the trading pier in Sirik and the fishing piers in both Sirik and Bandar Abbas.
The US lifted the exemption from oil sanctions against Iran
In addition to the strikes, the US Treasury Department on Wednesday also revoked the general license that allowed the sale of Iranian oil, saying Tehran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz were “totally unacceptable” and would have consequences.
Read also | What the waiver of US sanctions on Iranian oil means for India and the global energy market
Under the US-Iran Interim Agreement, the Treasury Department issued a general license on June 22, allowing the sale of Iranian-origin oil, petrochemicals and petroleum products until August 21. After the cancellation, Iran had until July 17 to end all transactions.
Iran attacked vessels in the Strait of Hormuz
On Tuesday, Iran attacked three vessels, including the Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker Al-Rekayyat, as it passed near the Strait of Hormuz. A Saudi-flagged oil tanker, believed to be the supertanker Wedyan, was also damaged off Oman.
Iranian state television said the Qatari tanker was attacked after it ignored warnings, but Tehran did not directly claim the attack, Al Jazeera reported.
Iran has insisted on control of the Strait of Hormuz as part of an interim deal with the US, while the two countries continue to work on a final deal.
Read also | India secures fertilizer supply as 15 vessels cross Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that under the terms of the interim cease-fire memorandum, negotiations on a final agreement “will not begin if the threats continue.”
Funeral of Ali Khamenei
The strikes in the Strait of Hormuz and the US response come even as Iran is in the midst of a funeral for its late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
After funeral prayers in Tehran on Tuesday, the coffins of Ali Khamenei and his family were driven through the streets of the seminary city of Qom, where many hundreds of thousands of people carried flags and banners likening Khamenei to revered Shiite martyrs, according to Reuters.
Read also | Funeral of Ali Khamenei: Mojtaba Khamenei is absent, but 3 brothers pay their last respects
In chants, they vowed to avenge Khamenei. Some carried placards and banners reading “KILL TRUMP.”
Later in the day, Iranian state media showed footage of a plane carrying Khamenei’s coffin at the airport in the Shiite holy city of Najaf in neighboring Iraq, Reuters reported.
Key things
- The US military’s response signals a shift in strategy to confront Iran amid persistent threats to maritime security.
- The withdrawal of exemptions from oil sanctions suggests a significant escalation of economic pressure on Iran.
- The international consequences of US actions may affect diplomatic negotiations related to the Iran nuclear deal.
