US bombs Iranian missile and drone sites after Tehran drone attack on cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz

Retaliatory strikes

Aircraft from the US Central Command struck what it described as missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar locations in Iran on June 26. The operation was a direct response to an Iranian strike on the Singapore-flagged cargo ship M/V Ever Lovely in the Strait of Hormuz on June 25. The vessel was hit by a one-way attack drone as it departed the strait along the coast of Oman. The ship sustained damage to its upper deck but no casualties or environmental impact were reported.

Iran launched at least four attack drones against ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. One of them substantially hit the upper deck of a very large and expensive cargo ship. Obviously, this is a stupid violation of our ceasefire agreement.

Ceasefire in jeopardy

The exchange occurred despite a memorandum of understanding signed last week between Washington and Tehran that suspended hostilities and committed both sides to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while negotiating a definitive deal on Iran's nuclear programme. The immediate reopening of the waterway, through which 20% of the world's oil products passed before the war, is central to that preliminary peace agreement.

Obviously, this is a stupid violation of our ceasefire agreement.

CENTCOM called the Iranian action an "unjustified aggression against commercial shipping" that "clearly violated the ceasefire" and noted that the dangerous behaviour compromised freedom of navigation on a vital international trade corridor.

IMO suspends crew evacuation

As a result of the attack, the International Maritime Organization halted a plan to extract approximately 11,000 crew members stranded in the Persian Gulf since a blockade was imposed after an Israeli-American offensive launched on 28 February. The operation had succeeded in evacuating 115 vessels carrying about 2,500 seafarers since Tuesday.

Although we suspended the evacuation yesterday, some vessels continue to transit the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz. That is why it is important to reactivate the mechanism to ensure higher levels of security.

Iranian posture and oil transit

Iran, through its Persian Gulf Strait Authority, insisted that ships transiting the strait must follow routes established by the Islamic Republic. The Revolutionary Guard had fired on the bridge of the cargo ship hours after warning vessels not to navigate by unauthorised routes. The UK Maritime Trade Operations office confirmed the damage and advised caution in the area.