U.S. launches strikes against Iran

The United States carried out large-scale airstrikes against Iran Tuesday (local time), about three weeks after the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at ending the conflict. Iran responded by launching attacks on U.S. military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait. Washington also revoked a sanctions waiver issued last month for Iranian crude oil.

The strikes came after a series of Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil shipments. The United States responded with military force while simultaneously reinstating economic pressure, fueling concerns that the ceasefire and negotiations established under the MOU may be breaking down.

U.S. Central Command said on X that it had launched a sustained series of powerful airstrikes to impose severe consequences on Iran for attacking commercial vessels carrying civilian crews in international waters. The command said the operation was a response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, describing them as unprovoked and dangerous acts that violated the ceasefire agreement. The Wall Street Journal, citing senior U.S. officials, reported that the latest operation was four to five times larger than the strikes carried out after the MOU was signed last month. The United States and Iran also exchanged attacks on military facilities between June 26 and June 28 after earlier Iranian assaults on commercial vessels.

Also on Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control revoked a 60-day temporary license issued June 21 that had allowed the production, delivery and sale of Iranian crude oil. Iran said the decision breached the terms of the MOU.


Jin-Woo Shin niceshin@donga.com