US Strikes Iran in Response to Strait of Hormuz Ship Attack

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(Bloomberg) — The US attacked Iran one day after Tehran struck a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz, an exchange that threatened to break the fragile ceasefire between the two countries. 

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US Central Command said that American aircraft on Friday hit Iranian missile and drone storage sites as well as coastal radar installations, calling it a “powerful response to yesterday’s attack.”

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On Thursday, the Singapore-flagged container ship Ever Lovely sustained damage from what the US said was a one-way Iranian attack drone. The incident irked President Donald Trump, who said earlier Friday that “I don’t like the fact that they took a shot.”

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“They shouldn’t be doing that,” Trump told reporters at the White House. 

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Iran vowed to respond, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency, citing a statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “Our naval and air forces successfully repelled the attack,” the IRGC claimed in the statement.

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Since signing a 60-day truce last week, Trump has said that he would resume military action against Iran if it violates the agreement’s terms, which provide for the flow of vessels through the vital strait and talks over its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

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Now, the question is how much the resumption of strikes will slow progress toward restoring shipping traffic in the energy thoroughfare to pre-war levels. Washington and Tehran were able to agree to an interim peace deal last week despite trading strikes in the leadup to that document being finalized. 

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Yet the two sides continue to clash over key provisions of the deal, including whether Iran will impose tolls or other monetary costs on ships seeking to sail through Hormuz. Oman told European officials that vessels may ultimately have to be charged some fees, Bloomberg reported earlier. 

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Trump posted on social media earlier Friday that Iran sent “at least four” one-way attack drones at ships in the strait a day before, and that one of them “solidly hit the upper deck of a large and very expensive” cargo ship.

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“Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement,” the president said. 

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Before the strikes were announced, Trump was reluctant to telegraph his response. He told a reporter who asked if the US would retaliate that “you’re going to find out.” 

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Trump’s decision to attack demonstrates that he’s willing to use military force to maintain freedom of navigation in the strait. But Iran’s attack also shows that it’s seeking to maintain control of the waterway, which it largely shut after the war began on Feb. 28 as a means of wielding leverage against the US. 

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The drone attack rattled the fragile confidence of shipowners and crews, though ships continued to transit through the narrow corridor earlier Friday. Tehran has repeatedly said that ships can’t pass Hormuz without its permission, and a handful of tankers turned around early on Thursday after reportedly getting warnings from the Iranian Navy.

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Central Command said in its statement Friday that it would “continue to provide safe passage coordination and support to commercial vessels transiting the strait.”

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

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—With assistance from John Harney and Veena Ali-Khan.

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(Updates with Iran response, in fifth paragraph.)

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