US forces launch strikes against Iran after tankers hit in Hormuz

U.S. forces launched strikes against Iran on Tuesday after three commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz were attacked, the U.S. Central Command said, reported Xinhua.

U.S. forces "have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway," the command said in a post on X.

"The U.S. strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz," said the command.

Explosions were heard near Iran's Qeshm Island and port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, according to Iranian state outlet Press TV.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations on Tuesday reported three separate attacks involving tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with no casualties reported.

Meanwhile, the Navy of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted two tankers attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz via a U.S.-backed Omani route on Monday night after they failed to heed warnings, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported on Tuesday.

Fars, citing satellite images provided on the X account of MenchOsint, an independent military observer, said maritime traffic tracking data showed that after the two tankers were targeted, other vessels from Japan, India and Western countries changed course and instead used the route designated by Iran to transit the strait.

Media reports said on Tuesday that a Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker and a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker were damaged near the Strait of Hormuz after the IRGC's reported overnight missile attacks on vessels in the waterway.

The Qatari vessel, identified as the Al Rekayyat, reportedly sent out distress signals after being hit.

Qatar on Tuesday condemned the attack on the Al-Rekayyat, calling it a violation of international law and a threat to international maritime navigation and global energy security.

In a statement posted on X, Majed Al Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari foreign ministry, said Qatar holds Iran "fully legally responsible" for the attack and for any resulting damage and consequences, urging Tehran to immediately cease all such practices.