US strikes Iran in response to cargo ship attack
The U.S. carried out strikes on Iran on Friday in what it called a response to Iran’s attacks on a commercial trade ship earlier in the week.
U.S. Central Command said it targeted Iranian missile and drone facilities in the attack. It did not say how large the attack was.
In the announcement, CENTCOM said the attack was a response to the Thursday attack on a Singapore-flagged ship exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the coast of Oman. The command called the attack a clear violation of the most recent ceasefire.
“The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire,” CENTCOM wrote. “Furthermore, Iran’s dangerous behavior undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor.”
Shortly before the strikes occurred, President Donald Trump told reporters that, “You’ll find out,” when asked whether the U.S. would respond to the attack, The Associated Press reported.
“I don’t like the fact that they took a shot yesterday, actually four of them,” Trump said.
Stranded in the strait
The dueling strikes put the recently signed ceasefire into question, and came as the United Nations was beginning to remove ships stranded in the strait since the war began. The International Maritime Organization ended evacuations after the attack, the AP reported, and said it wouldn’t resume until it has guarantees that more attacks won’t happen.
More than 100 ships have left the Strait of Hormuz since the most recent ceasefire, but about 500 remain.
Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are ongoing, with many terms still undecided. Major issues remain, including getting the hundreds of ships still trapped out of the strait and addressing Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Under the current deal, both sides have 60 days to agree on the final details.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
