The U.S. launched multiple waves of attacks on Iran in retaliation for Iran firing weapons at three commercial vessels in the Hormuz Strait last Tuesday, which the U.S. condemned as a violation of the MOU.
The U.S. Central Command (Centcom) announced that the military began attacks on Iran on Wednesday, 8 July 2026 local time, to "severely punish" Tehran for targeting commercial vessels carrying innocent crew members in an international shipping lane.
Information from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) indicated that three oil tankers were damaged by attacks within a 24-hour period spanning Monday and Tuesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, a U.S. official stated that Iran would face consequences and condemned the attacks as "completely unacceptable."
However, Iran has yet to claim responsibility for the attacks on those oil tankers.
Centcom said in a statement posted on the X platform that the U.S. attacks were in response to Iranian aggression, describing Iran's hostile actions as illegitimate, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia also condemned the attacks, each stating that their oil tankers were targeted while passing through or near the Hormuz Strait.
Additionally, on Tuesday, the U.S. announced it was ending sanction exemptions that had previously allowed Iran to resume selling oil and petroleum products, as part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Washington and Tehran last month.
A notice published on the U.S. Treasury Department’s website on Tuesday said a short grace period would be granted until 17 July for transactions previously authorized under these exemptions to be completed before the sanctions take full effect.
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Source:bbc