The US Central Command on Saturday (local time) announced that the American forces have begun launching their third round of strikes this week against Iran after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on X, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said, “At 7:15 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command forces began launching the third round of strikes this week against Iran after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces blatantly attacked M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. A civilian crew member is missing, and the vessel is unable to continue the journey due to an onboard fire and significant engine room damage.”
It also accused Tehran of failing to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels.
CENTCOM further said, “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 strikes are being carried out at the direction of the Commander in Chief.”
Iran shuts Hormuz again
The development comes shortly after Iran on Sunday (local time) announced that it is closing the Strait of Hormuz “until further notice” after the IRGC fired warning shots at a vessel taking the “unauthorised route.”
The move further seems to jeopardise the already strained ceasefire agreement with the US, which the two sides signed nearly a month ago. Earlier this week, IRGC targeted several vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, following which Trump announced that the ceasefire was over and Washington launched strikes at Iranian targets. The two sides then engaged in tit-for-tat strikes on Wednesday and Thursday.
This is a developing story. More details awaited.
