The United States launched a third round of strikes against Iran in a week on the night of July 12, following an attack by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on a civilian vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. This was reported by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on social media platform X, writes UNN.
Details
CENTCOM stated that IRGC forces attacked the Cyprus-flagged container ship M/V GFS Galaxy as it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz. According to the U.S. command, one civilian crew member is missing, and the vessel is unable to proceed due to a fire on board and significant damage to the engine room.
In response, the United States is delivering a serious blow to Iran, continuing to degrade its ability to attack civilian sailors and commercial vessels that freely transit the strait. The strikes are being carried out on the orders of the commander-in-chief
The U.S. named the targets of the new operation
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, commenting on the start of the operation, wrote: "Iran made the wrong choice. Now it has to pay for it."
According to Axios journalist Barak Ravid, citing a U.S. official, during the new wave of strikes, the U.S. targeted air and maritime surveillance radars, missile and drone storage facilities, as well as launchers for missiles, drones, and air defense systems.
Recall
The day before, Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz after the incident with the vessel, which, according to Tehran, attempted to transit the waterway via an "unauthorized" route. Washington cited this very incident as the reason for launching the new strikes.