The United States launched a third round of military strikes against Iran on Saturday after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked a commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced.
According to CENTCOM, Iranian forces targeted the Cyprus-flagged container ship *M/V GFS Galaxy*, leaving one civilian crew member missing and causing an onboard fire and significant damage to the vessel’s engine room, rendering it unable to continue its voyage.
The U.S. military said the latest strikes were ordered directly by President Donald Trump in response to what it described as another blatant Iranian attack on international commercial shipping.
“Iran was provided yet another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels but has again failed,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “In response, the United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait.”
A U.S. official told Axios that the strikes targeted Iranian military assets near the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest escalation came after Iran announced it considers the strategic waterway closed once again, claiming a vessel traveling through what it called an “unauthorized route” had been struck by warning fire.
Following the strikes, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued a brief warning to Tehran.
“Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay,” Hegseth wrote on X.
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