The United States launched a new wave of strikes against Iran after Tehran attacked a commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran announced the strategic waterway had been closed until further notice.
According to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the vessel was targeted after it switched off its tracking systems and deviated from an approved shipping route. State media reported that the waterway had been shut following the incident, reports BBC.
The US Central Command (Centcom) said it conducted its “third round of strikes this week” after IRGC forces “blatantly attacked” a Cyprus-flagged vessel.
The latest escalation follows attacks earlier this week on three commercial tankers, which triggered an exchange of military strikes between the United States and Iran.
Centcom said the MV GFS Galaxy suffered extensive damage to its engine room and was “unable to continue its journey”. It added that one civilian crew member was missing.
The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said military authorities had informed it that the crew abandoned the vessel and were safe in a lifeboat.
“Iran was provided yet another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels but has again failed,” Centcom said in a statement posted on X.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared the statement, adding: “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.”
Earlier on Sunday, Iranian state media reported that Tehran had closed the Strait of Hormuz indefinitely after firing a naval cruise missile at a vessel it said had attempted to navigate an unauthorised route.
The IRGC said the ship was “hit by warning shots and stopped” after ignoring repeated instructions, according to a statement carried by the state news agency.
The Guards also warned that any US “aggression” following the closure would be met with “severity” and that additional military bases in the region would be targeted.
Earlier this week, three commercial tankers came under attack while travelling along a US-recommended route through Omani waters. Iran has repeatedly insisted that the only “safe” passage is through a separate route in its own waters.
Iranian officials said subsequent US strikes killed 17 people and injured 115 others. Tehran later responded with strikes against US allies in the Gulf.
The latest exchange has further heightened regional tensions. US President Donald Trump declared that the Iranian attacks meant the ceasefire was over, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Washington of violating the agreement.
Despite the renewed hostilities, Trump said diplomatic talks would continue, with mediators working to revive negotiations. US media reported that Iran had told American officials the tanker attacks were a mistake and blamed a rogue internal group.
American officials have also conveyed through mediators that Washington wants Iran to publicly declare the Strait of Hormuz open to international shipping and commit to ending attacks on commercial vessels.
The closure came after a call for revenge by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in his first public statement since assuming leadership.
His father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, was killed in an air strike on 28 February, the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran. He was buried in his home city of Mashhad on Friday.
Reading a statement on state television, the new ayatollah described vengeance as the “will of the nation”.
“We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced killers,” he was quoted as saying.
“The matter depends neither on my personal existence nor on that of other officials. Whether we are present or not, it will come to pass.”
During funeral ceremonies in recent days, many mourners carried placards calling for the killing of US President Donald Trump. On Saturday, Trump warned that any such attempt would prompt the United States to “decimate and destroy all areas” of Iran.
The *Wall Street Journal* and several other US media outlets reported this week that Israel had shared intelligence with Washington alleging Iran had recently developed a plan to assassinate the US president.
However, Trump denied that Tehran had formulated any new assassination plot or that Israel had provided the intelligence. Speaking to the New York Post, he said he had been “No. 1 [on Iran’s kill list] for a long time”.
