The US has launched “powerful” strikes on Iran in response to attacks on three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

📻 Breaking It Down

US Central Command (Centcom) said on Tuesday it had hit over 80 targets, including more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) small boats in the strait.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister called the US attacks a violation of the US-Iran memorandum signed last month, and warned that Tehran would “take decisive measures”.

Iranian state media said strikes hit Qeshm island, Bandar Abbas and Sirik, where people have been injured by shrapnel. Iran has not directly claimed responsibility for the attacks on the three tankers that led to the US launching strikes.

📌 What You Need to Know

Centcom said in addition to the 60 small boats, it had struck Iranian missile launch sites and command centres. It did not give locations of its targets.

The US had said there would be consequences to what it has called the “wholly unacceptable” attacks on the three tankers.

Centcom said the US strikes were”to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent individuals in an international waterway”.

Before the strikes, the US Treasury revoked a waiver that had temporarily lifted oil sanctions on Iran, and was part of the memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran last month.

Iran’s foreign ministry called the move a breach of the memorandum and said it proved the “bad faith, inconsistency, and unreliability” of the US government.

It added that Tehran “will take whatever measures it considers necessary to safeguard its national interests and national security”.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya