U.S. Launches New Strikes On Iran, Revokes Oil Sales Permit After 3 Ships Attacked In Strait Of Hormuz

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military attacked Iran early Wednesday after Tehran said it hit three ships in the Strait of HormuzThis is part of an American effort to also eliminate the Islamic Republic’s ability to openly sell crude oil on the world market. Iran retaliated against attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait.

The regional crossfire has raised the risk that an interim agreement to halt fighting in the war could break down, putting the Middle East at renewed risk of wider conflict.

The attacks on shipping and the resulting strikes took place during Iran’s days-long funeral procession. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali KhameneiThe funeral of the 86-year-old killed in the first moments of the war on February 28. The funeral, which ended on Thursday, was thought to be a period of low tension; but mourners have repeatedly called for the killing of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Negotiations to reach a final agreement would begin after Khamenei’s burial and focus on the most difficult issues. Complete reopening of the throat and I’m coming back Tehran’s controversial nuclear program. However, new attacks have thrown this into doubt.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf wrote about X: “The era of tyranny and extortion is over. It is going nowhere. We are not giving up.”

The U.S. military’s Central Command said American forces launched the strikes “with the intent of imposing heavy costs on targeting and attacking commercial vessels crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”

It reportedly hit Iranian targets, including air defense systems, radars and more than 60 small boats used by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. These boats play a key role in harassing ships in the strait.

Stating that the US military “continues its stance and is ready to hold Iran responsible if the agreement is not complied with or not complied with,” the organization stated that these attacks have ended.

Iran acknowledged the attack but made no statement regarding any casualties. Iranian state media reported that explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm and Sirik.

On Wednesday morning, both Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, and Kuwait, home to U.S. Army forces, issued missile alerts. The Guard issued a statement acknowledging that U.S. military facilities in both countries were targeted.

Without mentioning the attacks on ships in the strait, he said: “The child-murdering and terrorist US army… blatantly violated the ceasefire and violated the Islamabad agreement by launching air strikes on numerous coastal bases and civilian stations on the coasts of Hormozgan and Mahshahr provinces.”

Similar Iranian attacks on ships and US retaliatory strikes occurred late last month; this similarly led to Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait. Wednesday’s strikes also took place while Trump has been in Türkiye for some time. NATO military alliance summit.

The United States also revoked the license allowing the sale of Iranian oil as part of the interim agreement. This allowed Iran to openly sell oil in exchange for US dollars on the international market for the first time in years. Iran has long been suspected of selling sanctioned crude oil to China below market prices.

The decision came after strikes in the maritime sector. The UK Merchant Marine Operations center said a tanker was hit and caught fire while traveling off the coast of Oman. Iranian state television reported that the liquefied natural gas tanker was attacked by ignoring warnings, but did not directly claim responsibility for the attack.

Britain’s maritime agency said two other ships also sustained some damage but no one was injured and both continued on their way through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has held the Strait of Hormuz since the war, disrupting global energy markets as a fifth of oil and natural gas traded in peacetime passes through the canal. The ships attacked on Tuesday all appear to have taken a route closer to the Omani coast rather than the route ordered by Tehran.

Tehran has repeatedly stated that only the approved route through the strait is safe and that it is suspected of attacking other ships using the Oman route.

Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Majed al-Ansari said the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat was the target of an “unacceptable attack” on international navigation and global energy security. He said Qatar held Iran “fully legally responsible.”

Iran and the USA reached an agreement as part of the interim agreement Allowing ships to pass without paying for 60 days. But Tehran has insisted that ships must control their routes and then charge fees for passage, which would upend decades-old practices in the waterway.

USA and many Gulf Arab countries They say they will not accept Iran’s request to pass through the strait.