A senior US official told journalist Barak Raviv that the US military is actively striking Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz area, in retaliation for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) attack on a merchant ship. The report is based on a single source with no independent confirmation.
The US military has struck Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, in what a senior US official said was direct retaliation for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) missile strike on a merchant ship earlier tonight. Within minutes of the initial report, The Zioneer received a second confirmation that the strikes targeted IRGC naval infrastructure in the port of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran. Iran's Foreign Ministry responded by vowing "the latest American attacks will not go unanswered."
The Zioneer first reported the IRGC's missile strike on a cargo ship at 01:45 Jerusalem, citing US officials. At 02:38 Jerusalem, the desk reported that the US was striking Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, based on a single senior US official. Moments later, a second update specified that the strikes hit IRGC naval assets in Bandar Abbas port, and that Iran had threatened retaliation — shifting the source landscape from a single US official to an on-record Iranian government statement.
The escalation follows weeks of heightened IRGC activity in the strait, as The Zioneer has covered: warning shots at US warships in the Gulf of Oman (Jun 5), the nightly launch of 2–4 attack drones at US Navy ships (Jun 17), and a warning-shot incident at several vessels (Jun 28). The IRGC's attack on the merchant ship tonight was the first direct hit on a commercial vessel.
The specific damage from the US strikes, the identity of the merchant ship attacked by the IRGC, and the precise nature of any Iranian retaliation remain unverified. The initial report of the US strikes continues to rely on a single source, though the Iranian threat provides a second, independent thread of confirmation.
3 developments
- ConfirmedUS official confirms ongoing strikes against Iran; new explosions heard in Bandar Abbas and Kish Island
- ConfirmedExplosions reported on Iran's Qeshm and Kharg Islands
- StrongSecurity analyst reports attacks in Bandar Lengeh and Bandar Abbas, southern Iran
- StrongIranian media report new strikes on Qeshm Island, Bandar Lengeh and Bandar Kong
Source and signal
- Internal intake