U.S. Central Command said it conducted strikes on Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar installations, hours after President Trump called Iran's June 25 drone attack on a commercial vessel a 'foolish violation' of the ceasefire. The operation targeted the area of Sirik Island in southern Iran.
U.S. Central Command confirmed late Friday night that it had conducted retaliatory strikes on Iranian military infrastructure in southern Iran, in response to Iran's June 25 suicide drone attack on the Singapore-flagged cargo ship M/V Ever Lovely in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes targeted Iranian missile and drone storage sites as well as coastal radar installations, CENTCOM said in a statement carried by multiple sources. The operation was carried out near Sirik Island in the Hormozgan province, about an hour before the announcement.
The announcement came hours after President Donald Trump publicly described Iran's attack on the merchant vessel as a 'foolish violation' of the ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran, hinting earlier in the evening that a U.S. response was imminent. As The Zioneer reported at 23:40 Jerusalem, CENTCOM had already issued a preliminary statement confirming the strikes, and the current bulletin adds further operational detail and the precise timeframe.
This is the latest in a series of exchanges in the Strait of Hormuz this month. On June 13, CENTCOM reported intercepting multiple Iranian drones aimed at commercial shipping, and on June 12 Fox News reported that U.S. forces had shot down two Iranian drones. On June 10, the U.S. launched a separate wave of retaliatory strikes across southern Iran after Iran downed a U.S. helicopter. The June 25 attack on the M/V Ever Lovely is the first confirmed case of an Iranian drone successfully striking a commercial vessel since the ceasefire framework was imposed. No U.S. or coalition casualties have been reported in this round.
3 developments
- ConfirmedCENTCOM intercepts Iranian suicide drones targeting commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingUS CENTCOM Downs Two Iranian Drones in Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingUS shot down two Iranian drones after attempted strike on ships in Hormuz, Fox News reports
- StrongCENTCOM completes additional precision strikes across Iran
Source and signal
- Internal intake