Breaking news: U.S. Central Command said American forces carried out additional strikes against multiple targets in Iran on Saturday after a tanker was hit near the Strait of Hormuz, turning a shaky ceasefire into a second straight day of open military action.
CENTCOM said the strikes were ordered “in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping.” The command said U.S. aircraft targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities.
The trigger, according to CENTCOM, was a one-way attack drone that hit the Panama-flagged M/T Kiku around 4:30 a.m. ET while the tanker was transiting near Hormuz with more than two million barrels of crude oil. CENTCOM said Iran had been given a chance to honor the ceasefire after Friday’s U.S. strikes tied to the M/V Ever Lovely attack, but “elected not to.”
Why this is a new development
Earlier List25 coverage focused on the tanker strike, the maritime threat level, Bahrain’s drone accusation, and Friday’s U.S. response. The new angle is Washington confirming a second round of strikes inside Iran, with CENTCOM listing a broader target set that included air defense and minelayer capabilities.
The Guardian reported that CENTCOM framed the action as a response to Iran’s “continued aggression against commercial shipping” and said vessel traffic through the strait was still continuing. The command added that U.S. forces remained “vigilant, lethal, and ready.”
Al Jazeera reported explosions in southern Iran near Tahrui and said Iranian state media also indicated Qeshm Island had been hit. The outlet said no crew injuries or cargo leakage were reported after the tanker incident.
The ceasefire dispute is widening
The latest exchange matters because the June 17 memorandum was supposed to halt military operations while Washington and Tehran worked through disputes over Hormuz transit, sanctions, and Iran’s nuclear program. Instead, both sides are now treating Hormuz enforcement as the central test of the agreement.
Al Jazeera reported that U.S. and Iranian officials appear to have different interpretations of the memorandum’s shipping provisions. Washington says commercial vessels should be able to move through the Omani side of the strait without Iranian clearance. Tehran argues ships must coordinate with Iranian authorities, even when using routes outside Iranian territorial waters.
That gap keeps the world’s most important energy chokepoint under military pressure. Nearly one-fifth of global oil supply moves through Hormuz, meaning even limited vessel attacks and retaliatory strikes can quickly ripple through shipping, insurance, and fuel markets.
CENTCOM said commercial vessel transits were continuing despite the strikes. For now, that is the narrow line both sides are testing: keeping Hormuz technically open while the ceasefire itself looks increasingly fragile.
Sources: U.S. Central Command, Al Jazeera, The Guardian.