US strikes Iran after Hormuz ship attacks, oil licence revoked

The US struck Iranian coastal military targets after accusing Tehran of attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran retaliated against Bahrain and Kuwait, further straining the fragile truce and planned talks.

In Short

• American forces hit Iranian radars, air defences and Guard boats overnight
• Iran then launched missile strikes targeting US military sites in Bahrain
• Kuwait also issued alerts after Tehran claimed attacks on installations

The US military struck targets in Iran early on Wednesday after accusing Tehran of attacking three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Washington also revoked a licence that had allowed Iran to sell crude oil openly on the world market under an interim deal. Iran responded with strikes aimed at Bahrain and Kuwait.

The latest exchange raised fresh doubts over the interim agreement meant to halt fighting in the war, though neither side immediately indicated it would walk away from talks. The attacks came during the funeral ceremonies for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in the opening moments of the war, and cast uncertainty over planned negotiations on reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran's disputed nuclear programme.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X: "The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don't fold."

The US military's Central Command said American forces carried out the strikes "to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway". It said the operation hit Iranian air defence systems, radars and more than 60 small boats used by the Revolutionary Guard, which it said had been used to harass ships in the strait. The command added that US forces remain "postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed", and said this round of attacks had ended.

Iran acknowledged the strikes but did not give details of any losses. Iranian state media reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm and Sirik. It later reported an attack on Bandar Mahshahr that killed one Guard member, as well as attacks on Bushehr.

On Wednesday morning, Bahrain and Kuwait both issued missile alerts. Bahrain hosts the US Navy's 5th Fleet and Kuwait hosts US Army forces. The Revolutionary Guard later said it had targeted US military installations in both countries. In a statement, it said: "The child-killing and terrorist US army ... openly violated the ceasefire and violated the Islamabad understanding by launching an airstrike on a number of coastal bases and civilian stations on the coasts of Hormozgan and Mahshahr provinces." The statement did not address the attacks on the ships. Bahrain sounded its alert sirens a second and third time later in the morning.

A similar round of Iranian attacks on shipping and US retaliatory strikes took place late last month, and that too was followed by Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait. Wednesday's strikes also came while US President Donald Trump was in Turkey for a NATO summit. Senior UAE diplomat Anwar Gargash said Iran's attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait were "a clear indicator that Tehran remains incapable of committing to the requirements of de-escalation and turning the page on war". He added: "The Gulf Arab states cannot remain a target for Iran's wavering between the logic of escalation and the path of rationality, stability and peace."

The United States also withdrew the licence that had authorised the sale of Iranian oil under the interim deal. The move followed the attacks on shipping. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said one tanker travelling off the coast of Oman was hit and caught fire. Iranian state television said the liquefied natural gas tanker had come under attack after ignoring warnings, but did not directly claim responsibility. The other two ships suffered some damage, but no one was hurt, and both continued through the Strait of Hormuz, the UK agency said.

Iran has kept a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz since the war, disrupting global energy markets. The ships attacked on Tuesday appeared to be using a route close to Oman's shore instead of one ordered by Tehran. Iran has repeatedly said only its approved route through the strait is safe and has been suspected of attacking vessels using the Oman route. Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar's Foreign Ministry, said the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat was targeted in an "unacceptable attack" on international navigation and global energy security, and said Qatar holds Iran "fully legally responsible".

Under the interim deal, Iran and the United States had agreed to allow ships to pass for 60 days without paying charges. But Tehran said it must control the routes taken by vessels and later charge fees for passage, a step the US and many Gulf Arab states have said they will not accept.

Funeral ceremonies for Khamenei were held on Wednesday in the Iraqi city of Najaf, with prayers later scheduled at the Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala. His son and successor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared at the ceremonies, which began on Saturday in Tehran, and is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the strike that killed his father. Khamenei is due to be buried on Thursday at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.

In summary, the latest US and Iranian strikes, the renewed attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and Washington's move to revoke Iran's oil sale licence have added fresh strain to an already fragile truce, even as funeral rites for Khamenei continue and planned talks remain in doubt.

With PTI Inputs

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