US Launches Third Round of Strikes on Iran After Attack on Commercial Ship in Strait of Hormuz

Washington, July 2026 : The United States launched a third round of military strikes against Iran after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly attacked a Cyprus-flagged commercial container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said on Sunday.

According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the latest operation began at 7:15 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday (4:45 a.m. IST Sunday) and was carried out under the orders of President Donald Trump in his role as Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces.

The strikes came in response to an attack on the M/V GFS Galaxy, a commercial cargo vessel that was transiting the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes for global oil and trade.

“At 7:15 p.m. ET today, US Central Command forces began launching the third round of strikes this week against Iran after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces blatantly attacked M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said in an official statement.

The US military, however, did not immediately disclose the locations targeted during the operation or specify the weapons and military assets being used in the strikes.

CENTCOM said the attack on the commercial vessel caused extensive damage, leaving the ship stranded in the waterway. A fire reportedly broke out on board, severely damaging the engine room and rendering the vessel incapable of continuing its voyage.

The military also confirmed that one civilian crew member remains missing following the attack. Authorities have not disclosed the nationality or identity of the missing individual, while search efforts are expected to continue.

“A civilian crew member is missing and the vessel is unable to continue the journey due to an onboard fire and significant engine room damage,” the statement said.

The US military linked the latest action to what it described as Iran’s repeated failure to honour commitments under a previously agreed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). According to CENTCOM, Tehran had been given additional opportunities to demonstrate compliance after earlier incidents involving commercial shipping but had failed to do so.

“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 stated.

The command said the ongoing military operations are intended to degrade Iran’s ability to target civilian vessels and disrupt international maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

“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,” CENTCOM said, reiterating that the strikes were being conducted under the direct orders of President Trump.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)