The US announced that it launched new strikes on Iranian territory after a ship moving through the Strait of Hormuz was struck by Iran. The BBC reported this.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced through state media that the Strait of Hormuz is closed "until further notice". It also stated that a sharp response would be made to the US "aggressive actions".
A few hours after the US strikes, the IRGC said it had launched an attack on a US military base in Jordan. At the same time, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain announced they were taking countermeasures against rockets and drones launched by Iran.
The events escalated further after three commercial tankers were attacked at the beginning of the week. Subsequently, an exchange of strikes between the US and Iran began.
According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), strikes were carried out for the third time this week after the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps "openly attacked" a ship sailing under the Cypriot flag in the Strait of Hormuz.
It was reported that the MV GFS Galaxy was unable to continue moving due to serious damage to its engineering section. As a result of the incident, one civilian crew member went missing.
According to CENTCOM, the US strikes targeted 140 Iranian military sites, including missile and drone bases, communication networks, and coastal observation points.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), however, stated that the ship's crew, under military instruction, abandoned the ship and transferred to a rescue boat.
In a statement, the US Central Command emphasized that Iran had been given the opportunity to adhere to an agreement regarding responsibility for previous attacks on commercial ships, but Tehran did not fulfill these demands.
The statement was also disseminated by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He wrote, "Iran made a wrong decision. Now it will pay the consequences."
The IRGC, meanwhile, stated that the US strikes targeted a number of military bases and telecommunications towers on Iran's southern coast.
Iran, for its part, announced that the first phase of retaliatory strikes was carried out against the Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan. Tehran claimed that the base's command center and hangars housing MQ-9 drones were destroyed.
Earlier, Iranian state media reported that the IRGC had decided to close the Strait of Hormuz. The reason given was that a ship moving in an unauthorized direction was struck by a naval cruise missile.
The IRGC stated that the ship did not heed multiple warnings, so warning shots were fired and it was stopped.
The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, however, as the main representative for negotiations with the US, wrote on social media: "The era of unilateral agreements is over."
