SRINAGAR: The United States launched a series of military strikes against Iranian targets early on Wednesday after three merchant ships were struck in waters off Oman, escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports by CNN and Channel News Asia.
In a statement, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) accused Iran of carrying out the attacks on commercial shipping
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 8, 2026
and said the strikes were intended to impose “heavy costs” on Tehran.
“US Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway,” CENTCOM said in a statement posted on its official social media account.
A US official told CNN that the operation was intended as “punishment, not proportional” and would continue for some time. The official said the strikes were launched in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, describing Tehran’s actions as “unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire”.
Iran condemned the US action, saying it would take whatever measures it considered necessary to safeguard its national security. Tehran also accused Washington of violating the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries.
The strikes came hours after Washington revoked a 60-day licence that had authorised Iranian oil sales under an interim agreement aimed at reducing hostilities. A US official said the licence was withdrawn because Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz were “unacceptable and needed to be met with consequences”.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry denounced the licence revocation, saying it breached the interim agreement and that the United States would bear responsibility for the consequences. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, also said in a post on X that the latest US strikes violated the agreement.
According to the UN International Maritime Organization, the attacks on the merchant ships marked the highest number of assaults on commercial vessels in a single day since late April, raising fresh concerns over maritime security and the uninterrupted flow of global energy supplies through one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
