The United States has launched a series of strikes against Iran in retaliation for attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the US Central Command (Centcom) announced Tuesday.

Centcom stated that the assaults were initiated to impose significant costs on Iran for targeting and attacking commercial shipping, which it described as crewed by innocent individuals in an international waterway. The US had previously warned of consequences for what it termed "wholly unacceptable attacks" on the tankers.

Iranian state media reported that strikes hit Qeshm island, Bandar Abbas, and Sirik, with some individuals sustaining injuries from shrapnel, though no fatalities have been reported. Centcom further asserted that Iran's "demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire."

These military actions followed the US Treasury's revocation earlier on Tuesday of a waiver that had temporarily lifted oil sanctions on Iran. This licence, which permitted Iran to sell oil and petrol products, was part of a memorandum of understanding signed between Washington and Tehran last month.

Iran's deputy foreign minister condemned the US strikes as a violation of the recently signed US-Iran memorandum, warning that Tehran would implement decisive measures. Iran's foreign ministry described the sanctions waiver revocation as a breach of the memorandum, asserting it demonstrated the US government's "bad faith, inconsistency, and unreliability." Tehran also stated it would take necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and security.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia also condemned the attacks, with both nations reporting that a tanker from their respective countries had been hit while traversing the Strait or its vicinity. Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari, held Iran "fully responsible" for an apparent targeted attack on the vessel Al-Rekayyat. Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry stated that Iran had targeted the Saudi tanker Wadyan, characterizing the assaults as an attack on the security of international navigation and global energy supplies.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, countered Qatar's accusations, calling them contrary to the principle of good neighborliness. He suggested that commercial vessels using routes not coordinated with Iran or tampering with tracking systems risked collision and disrupted Iran's efforts to facilitate safe transit in the Strait.

Earlier on Monday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a tanker passing through the Strait had sustained a fire after an unidentified projectile struck its engine room. Two separate incidents on Tuesday involved tankers reporting damage.