FLORIDA, June 27 (ANI) — The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Friday released footage showing U.S. military strikes on Iranian missile and drone storage sites, as well as coastal radar installations, following Tehran’s attack on a commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
According to a CENTCOM statement, the strikes were carried out on June 26 in response to an attack a day earlier on the Singapore-flagged cargo ship M/V Ever Lovely, which was struck by a one-way attack drone launched by Iranian forces while exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast.
“U.S. aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites after Iran hit M/V Ever Lovely on June 25 with a one-way attack drone,” CENTCOM said.
The U.S. military described the attack on the commercial vessel as “unwarranted aggression,” saying it violated the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran while undermining freedom of navigation through one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.
“The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire. Furthermore, Iran’s dangerous behavior undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor,” the statement said.
CENTCOM said its forces continue to coordinate safe passage and provide support to commercial vessels operating through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that the U.S. military remains deployed and vigilant to ensure compliance with the agreement reached with Iran.
“The U.S. military remains present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and remain in full force and effect,” the command said.
Following the U.S. strikes, the Navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) retaliated by targeting U.S. military positions in West Asia, describing Washington’s actions as a violation of commitments under a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) intended to end hostilities in the region.
According to a statement issued by the IRGC Public Relations Office and carried by Iranian state media outlet Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the Iranian response was launched after the U.S. airstrikes.
“The IRGC Navy responded to America’s aggression and breach of promise,” the statement said, according to IRIB.
The IRGC accused the United States of violating its obligations and claimed the strikes were conducted “under the pretext of preventing a ship from passing through the Strait of Hormuz illegally.”
“In response to this aggression, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy struck the locations of the U.S. terrorist army in the region,” the statement added.
The Iranian statement further claimed that Article 5 of the MoU established procedures for regulating traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and alleged that the United States had attempted to undermine those arrangements.
IRIB quoted the IRGC as warning that any future violations would provoke a broader military response.
“If the violation is repeated, our response will be more extensive than this,” the statement said. (ANI)
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