The U.S. military said Saturday it carried out a third round of airstrikes against Iran after Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked a commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Central Command said the strikes were ordered in response to the assault on the ship, the M/V GFS Galaxy, which was sailing under the Cyprus flag.
According to Central Command, the attack caused a fire on board and serious damage to the vessel’s engine room, leaving it unable to continue its voyage. The command also said one civilian crew member was missing. In a social media post, it said the U.S. was seeking to raise the cost of attacks on civilian mariners and commercial shipping in the strait.
Shipping tensions widen in the Gulf
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz to all ship traffic “until further notice,” according to the Iranian state outlet PressTV. The Guard also said no vessel would be allowed to pass through the waterway. The announcement came as several neighboring countries reported incoming projectiles, with Qatar saying its forces intercepted ballistic missiles and Bahrain and Kuwait issuing alerts.
The latest strikes mark the third time this week the U.S. has bombed Iran in retaliation for attacks on commercial ships in the area. The confrontation comes amid disputes over a June 17 memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran intended to reopen the strait. The agreement left transit routes undefined, and officials and analysts have said that gap has become a central point of contention as Iran pushes for vessels to use a northern route through its waters.
Source: cnbc.com
