US military has struck Iran after cargo ship attack, Pentagon confirms

United States forces launched a series of airstrikes against Iranian military targets on Friday in what the Pentagon described as “a powerful response” to a drone attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier. The strikes, carried out by US aircraft, hit missile and drone storage facilities as well as coastal radar sites, according to a statement from United States Central Command.

The target of Iran’s initial attack was the M/V Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged cargo ship that was exiting the strait along the Omani coast. A one-way attack drone struck the vessel on June 25. The Pentagon said the “unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire.” The US strikes occurred on June 26.

Before Washington launched its military response, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Gharibabadi, issued a stark warning on social media. Writing in Persian on X, he declared that “safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz under vague arrangements, parallel routes, or decision-making outside Iran’s considerations as the coastal state is not guaranteed.” He insisted that any valid framework must be based on coordination with Tehran and the provisions of paragraph 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, warning that failure to do so “will result in the suspension of the designated parallel route.”

The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding

The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, signed between the United States and Iran, includes a specific provision in its fifth paragraph that outlines Iran’s role in managing maritime traffic through the strait. The text of section 5 states that upon signing the MoU, Iran “will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels, with no charge for 60 days only, from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman, and vice versa.” It adds that traffic “will immediately start” and, considering the need for removing technical and military obstacles and de-mining by Iran, will be “instated within 30 days.” The memorandum further requires Iran to “conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman, to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz, in discussions with other Persian Gulf Littoral States, in line with applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.”

The reference to this agreement by Iran’s deputy foreign minister came hours before the drone strike on the Ever Lovely, and after Iran had threatened vessels to stop using the route through the strait without Tehran’s permission. The attack on the cargo ship was not the first incident in the area; the UN’s International Maritime Organization had already paused its plan to move stranded ships carrying more than 11,000 sailors out of the Persian Gulf using a route that Iran’s military called “unacceptable and completely dangerous.” The IMO secretary general, Arsenio Dominguez, confirmed that the Ever Lovely was not part of that evacuation framework.

Iran’s response and Trump’s reaction

Following the US airstrikes, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) promised a “swift and decisive” response, according to Iranian state television. The IRGC said its forces had repelled an attack by the US on Sirik, a coastal area near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media reported that a pier in Sirik had been struck, and also said warning shots had been fired hours earlier on Friday toward what they described as “violating vessels” in the strait.

The US strikes came shortly after President Donald Trump was asked in the Oval Office whether Iran would face consequences for violating the ceasefire. “Well, you’ll find out,” he told reporters. Pressed repeatedly on whether he would respond, the president offered the same answer. Later, on Truth Social, Trump accused Iran of a “foolish violation” of the ceasefire, claiming Iran had fired at least four one-way attack drones at ships in the strait. He said US forces shot down three of them, while the fourth struck the Ever Lovely.

A senior US defense official, speaking to the Fox News Pentagon correspondent, said the airstrikes were “ongoing.” The Ever Lovely’s owner, Evergreen, confirmed that all crew members were safe and that the vessel and its cargo remained intact. The ship had been following a route through the strait recommended by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations when it was hit.