Screengrab from X video posted by U.S. Central Command
The United States launched fresh military strikes on multiple targets in Iran on Saturday after Tehran allegedly carried out another drone attack on a commercial oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz, further increasing tensions despite a ceasefire agreement reached two weeks ago.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest strikes came after an Iranian one-way attack drone hit the Panama-flagged tanker M/T Kiku at about 4:30 a.m. ET while it was sailing near the Strait of Hormuz with more than two million barrels of crude oil on board.
CENTCOM said the strikes were ordered by the Commander in Chief and were carried out in response to what it described as Iran’s continued attacks on commercial shipping.
The U.S. military said the latest operation targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defence sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities.
According to CENTCOM, the latest action came a day after U.S. forces struck Iran following what Washington described as an Iranian attack on the commercial cargo vessel M/V Ever Lovely.
The U.S. said Iran was given a chance to honour the ceasefire agreement but instead launched another drone attack, this time targeting M/T Kiku.
U.S. Navy and Air Force fighter jets conducted strikes tonight on 10 Iranian military targets at multiple locations in and near the Strait of Hormuz for Iran’s drone attack on M/T Kiku. /Z0TLZRqmF6
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 28, 2026
The ceasefire, agreed two weeks ago to end the four-month-old conflict, has come under renewed strain, with both the United States and Iran accusing each other of violating the agreement.
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the latest strikes in a post on Truth Social, saying U.S. aircraft had hit Iranian missile and drone storage sites as well as coastal radar installations.
“United States aircraft just struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!” Trump wrote.
He warned that Iran “may never learn” and said there could come a time when the United States would no longer be able to act with restraint and would be forced to “militarily complete the job” it had started. He added that if that happened, “the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist.”
In Iran, state broadcaster IRIB reported early Sunday that explosions were heard in Sirik in the country’s south, but gave no further details.
Iran’s Fars News Agency also reported that residents in the coastal Taharouyeh region of Sirik and elderly residents on Qeshm Island heard several explosions. It said the exact location and cause of the blasts had not been confirmed.
Iran also warned that any further military action would be met with a strong response.
Ibrahim al-Fiqar, the official military spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which coordinates the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the regular Iranian army, said any new aggression would receive a “crushing response.”
In a series of posts on X, al-Fiqar said violating the ceasefire was a breach of Article 1 of the Islamabad Understanding and would lead to “a complete halt of all tracks.”
He also said that under the Islamabad Understanding, Iran would regulate maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and warned that vessels described as “violent vessels” would be dealt with more firmly than before.
Despite the latest escalation, CENTCOM said commercial ships continue to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz continue. U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” the command said.
Reference: US Centcom
