US strikes Iranian drone, missile sites after cargo ship attack

U.S. aircraft carried out multiple strikes on Iranian missile and drone infrastructure on Friday in response to a Thursday attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. Central Command said the attacks were in response to Iran’s June 25 attack on the M/V Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged cargo ship that was near the Omani coast when several one-way attack drones neared it. On social media, President Donald Trump said that the U.S. shot down some of the drones, but one hit the ship. The UK Maritime Trade Operations said the vessel’s bridge was damaged, but no one was injured and the Ever Lovely continued on.

During Friday’s strike, U.S. aircraft hit coastal radar installations and also Iranian drone and missile storage sites. Iranian media reported explosions near the coastal city of Sirik, per al-Jazeera.

Central Command said that the attack on the cargo ship “clearly violated the ceasefire” that Iran and the United States agreed to this month, which opened the door for negotiations to end the war. Thursday’s attack prompted the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization to halt its evacuation of ships that had been stuck in the strait.

Central Command said in their statement that U.S. forces “continue to provide safe passage coordination and support” to commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

“The U.S. military remains present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect,” the statement said.