The United States launched strikes on Iran on Friday as a “powerful response” to the country’s Thursday attack on a cargo ship trying to exit the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) officials said.
While the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to put a ceasefire agreement in place was signed just last week, the Iranians shot “at least four” one-way attack drones at ships traversing the highly contested strait, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social.
While the U.S. managed to strike out three of the drones, one of them hit the upper deck of the Ever Lovely, a commercial vessel owned by a Singaporean subsidiary of the Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen. Trump said that while “damage was done” to the ship, it was able to make it out of the strait without casualties.
“Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement,” the president wrote.
The United Nations suspended its evacuation plan for ships stranded in the Persian Gulf on Thursday after the ship was struck, Breitbart News reported. The Ever Lovely had been trapped for over 100 days.
In a statement posted to X on Friday shortly after 4:30 p.m. Eastern, CENTCOM announced that “U.S. aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites” after Iran’s “unwarranted aggression.”
“The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire,” officials stated. “Furthermore, Iran’s dangerous behavior undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor.”
CENTCOM added that forces will continue to support commercial vessels as they transit the strait, with the U.S. military remaining “present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect.”
When asked earlier on Friday if Iran would face any consequences for shooting at boats in the strait, Trump told reporters, “You’ll find out.”
“I don’t like the fact that they took a shot yesterday,” he added. “They shouldn’t be doing that. So, you’ll find out.”
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.