US warplanes struck military targets on Iran's southern coast after accusing Iran of a drone attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump blamed Iran for the attack on the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel Ever Lovely on June 25, alleging a violation of the ceasefire between the two sides.
In an official statement, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said: "US aircraft targeted Iran's missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar facilities after Iran struck the M/V Ever Lovely with a one-way attack drone on June 25." The strikes were reported to have concentrated on facilities in the Sirik area, east of the Strait of Hormuz in Iran.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed in a statement after midnight local time that US strikes had targeted Sirik. The IRGC threatened retaliation at "a time and place of our choosing." Iranian officials quoted a senior commander who ordered the strikes as saying that "responding to US actions is a legitimate right."
In a statement on Friday morning, Trump claimed that Iran had fired four drones at commercial vessels in the strait a day earlier, three of which were neutralized by the US military. While the Iranian administration did not directly claim responsibility for the attack, warnings were issued through various channels that the safety of vessels not coordinating with Iranian authorities during strait transits could not be guaranteed.
The targeted Singapore-flagged cargo vessel Ever Lovely was reported to have been exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the coast of Oman at the time of the incident. According to CENTCOM, the vessel was struck approximately 7.5 nautical miles off the Omani coast. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced on Thursday that the attack damaged the ship's bridge but there were no casualties among the crew. Warnings were immediately issued for commercial vessels in the area to exercise caution.
This incident was the first reported attack on the waterway after the US and Iran agreed to a 60-day extension of the ceasefire by mutually agreeing to take steps to ease the naval blockade. Despite the extended ceasefire envisaging mutual confidence-building measures, tensions escalated. The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic point through which about one-fifth of global oil shipments pass, and the attack raised concerns in international markets.
The drone attack on the vessel occurred immediately after Oman announced, in cooperation with the United Nations maritime agency, the opening of a new sea route to assist stranded vessels in the Persian Gulf. The UN agency was forced to suspend and reassess its mission, launched only two days before the attack, to provide safe passage guidance through the Strait of Hormuz for more than 11,000 vessels trapped in the region due to the conflict.
In response to Oman's move, the Iranian IRGC once again emphasized that the safety of vessels not coordinating their transit with Iranian authorities could not be guaranteed. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Garibabadi said in a post on platform X on Friday: "The safety of vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz cannot be guaranteed under ambiguous regulations, parallel routes or decision-making processes that ignore Iran's considerations as the coastal state."
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, downplayed Friday's strikes by saying they did not mean a resumption of the conflict. CENTCOM stated: "Our forces continue to provide safe passage coordination and support to commercial vessels transiting the strait. The US military maintains its presence and vigilance to ensure that all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, complied with, and remain in full effect."
