On June 26, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said U.S. forces carried out airstrikes on Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar installations. The strikes were in response to Iran’s June 25 drone attack on the merchant vessel Ever Lovely while it was passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said Iran’s drone attack violated the ceasefire agreement and threatened freedom of navigation on one of the world’s most important trade routes. The U.S. said it will continue supporting the safe passage of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz and maintain forces in the region.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Iran had broken the ceasefire by attacking a merchant ship and warned that any further violence would be met with force. President Donald Trump earlier said Iran launched at least four attack drones at ships in the Strait of Hormuz. One drone hit a cargo ship, causing damage, while U.S. forces shot down the other three drones.
Iran rejected several U.S. claims. On June 27, the IRGC’s public relations chief said social media posts claiming clashes with U.S. forces were fake. The IRGC also denied reports that Iran and the U.S. had set up a Strait of Hormuz hotline. An ISNA report claiming Iran had repelled a U.S. attack on Sirik Island was later deleted.
The IRGC later said U.S. airstrikes targeted Iran’s coastal areas after Israel allegedly violated a ceasefire in southern Lebanon. It claimed Iranian naval forces struck U.S. military positions in response and warned that any future U.S. attacks would face a stronger retaliation. Iranian lawmaker Ibrahim Azizi also accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire and talks, warning that Iran would force the U.S. to “retreat and regret” any further aggression.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) said about 2,500 seafarers from 115 vessels had been evacuated from the Strait of Hormuz since June 23. The evacuation plan was suspended after a vessel was attacked in the Gulf of Oman on June 25, although some commercial ships continued using the strait.
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