U.S. Central Command announced Tuesday that American forces completed a sweeping new round of offensive strikes against Iran, hitting more than 80 targets with precision munitions in direct retaliation for Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes — described by CENTCOM as a response to what it called a “clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire” — mark a dramatic escalation in the fragile post-conflict relationship between Washington and Tehran, and come as the United States simultaneously moved to revoke a key economic concession that had allowed Iran to sell oil on international markets.
Three Tankers Attacked, Washington Responds
U.S. Central Command forces completed a new round of offensive strikes against Iran on July 7, hitting over 80 targets with precision munitions as an immediate response to Iran’s latest attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes targeted a broad array of Iranian military assets, with U.S. forces hitting air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, and anti-ship missile capabilities. More than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and near the strait were also destroyed to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor.
The catalyst for the strikes was Iran’s attacks on three commercial vessels in the strait. The targeted ships included the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, the Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and the Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity. Among the most significant of the strikes was the hit on the Al Rekayyat — a massive Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker that reported being struck overnight by a drone, causing a fire in its engine room. The crew were reported safe and being evacuated. A Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker believed to be the supertanker Wedyan was also damaged off Oman, though the cause was not immediately confirmed.
CENTCOM framed the Iranian attacks in unambiguous terms. “The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation,” CENTCOM stated. The command further emphasized on social media that the U.S. strikes were designed to “impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”
Explosions Reported Across Southern Iran
As the strikes unfolded, Iranian state media reported a series of explosions across key locations in the country’s south. Reports described blasts on Iran’s main oil hub of Kharg Island, on Qeshm Island, and in the southern port cities of Sirik and Bandar Abbas. Several people were reported injured by shrapnel from an enemy projectile that struck a commercial pier in Sirik, and fishing piers in both Sirik and Bandar Abbas were hit, with multiple fishing boats set ablaze. No civilian deaths were reported in initial accounts.
Iran’s Press TV reported multiple blasts on Kharg Island, though provided no immediate detail on damage or casualties. Notably, the CENTCOM statement made no mention of Kharg Island, from which Iran exports roughly 90 percent of its crude oil — the same facility that was struck by the U.S. in April. A U.S. official, speaking to reporters, confirmed that the strikes targeted Iranian air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, and drone launch sites.
Iran Denounces Strikes, Threatens “Crushing Response”
Tehran wasted no time responding. Iran’s top joint military command, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, denounced the U.S. strikes as a “blatant act of aggression” and threatened a “crushing response,” warning that Tehran would not permit American interference in the management of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s foreign ministry followed, condemning the strikes and stating that the country would take “any measure it deemed necessary” to safeguard its interests and national security.
On the matter of the tanker attacks, Iran’s position was defiant. Tehran’s foreign ministry dismissed Qatar’s accusations over the Al Rekayyat strike as “perplexing,” insisting Iran was fulfilling its commitments while asserting that commercial vessels faced risks for using routes not coordinated with Iran — a statement that effectively signaled Tehran’s intent to continue exercising control over strait traffic. Qatar, for its part, summoned Iran’s deputy ambassador and delivered a formal protest note over the attack.
Oil License Revoked as Ceasefire Deal Frays
Compounding the military pressure was a significant economic blow delivered simultaneously by Washington. Under the interim U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement, the U.S. Treasury had issued a general license on June 22 allowing the sale of Iranian crude oil and petrochemical products through August 21. On Tuesday, the United States revoked that license, giving Iran until July 17 to wind down any active transactions. Oil prices surged more than 3 percent on the news.
Iran’s foreign ministry called the revocation a breach of the framework agreement to end the war and said Washington would bear full responsibility for the consequences. The move dealt a serious blow to an already shaky peace process — the ceasefire had been intended to provide a 60-day window for negotiations toward a permanent agreement, but indirect talks in Qatar ended last week with no sign of progress.
Trump’s Warning, Iran’s Leverage, and a Ceasefire Under Pressure
The strikes and the oil license revocation came against a backdrop of increasing American frustration with Iran’s behavior during ceasefire negotiations. A U.S. official said negotiators continued to work in good faith toward a final agreement, but analysts have noted that Iran’s ability to threaten the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most critical commercial waterways — gives Tehran enormous leverage, effectively allowing it to force a stalemate with the world’s most powerful military. Analysts have described Iran’s ship attacks as a tool used to underscore that leverage as it pursues a long-term peace deal on favorable terms.
Iran’s clerical rulers have been pushing for a permanent system to collect fees from vessels transiting the strait, a move that would represent a massive shift in the regional balance of power in an area where Washington has long served as the guarantor of security and open navigation.
President Donald Trump had already been ratcheting up pressure. On Monday, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump issued a stark warning: “We’re either going to make a deal or we’re going to finish the job…We can knock down their bridges in one hour, we can knock out their energy supply.” The strikes on Tuesday demonstrated Washington’s willingness to back those words with military action.
Khamenei Mourning and Political Turbulence Inside Iran
The confrontation unfolded as Iran was simultaneously consumed by mass mourning for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed alongside his daughter, granddaughter, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law on the first day of the conflict that began in February with U.S. and Israeli strikes across the Islamic Republic. Huge crowds gathered in the holy city of Qom on Tuesday as his casket was driven through the streets, with Iranian state media later broadcasting footage of what it said was the plane carrying his coffin at the airport of the Shiite holy shrine city of Najaf in neighboring Iraq.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who had traveled to Iraq to participate in the funeral ceremonies, left for Iran shortly after the U.S. strikes on southern Iran were reported. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi added a sharp diplomatic warning to the mounting tensions, stating that under the terms of the interim ceasefire memorandum, negotiations on a final deal would “not commence if threats continue.”
CENTCOM: Forces “Remain Postured and Prepared”
With the ceasefire now under severe strain from both sides, CENTCOM left no ambiguity about America’s posture going forward. “CENTCOM forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed,” the command stated in its official release. Whether the two sides can pull back from the current escalation and return to the negotiating table remains the defining question — with the Strait of Hormuz, global oil markets, and the stability of a volatile region all hanging in the balance.