Iran attacked another vessel in the Strait of Hormuz Saturday, and the U.S. wasted little time striking back. The American military carried out operations Friday night, but Saturday’s response was described as bigger.
United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said on social media that the airstrikes were “at the Commander in Chief’s direction”:
After yesterday’s U.S. strikes in response to the Iranian attack on M/V Ever Lovely, Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to when its forces launched a one-way attack drone that hit M/T Kiku this morning at 4:30 a.m. ET. The Panama-flagged tanker was transiting near the Strait of Hormuz with more than two-million barrels of crude oil.
CENTCOM's statement continued and said U.S. forces targeted a variety of sites:
CENTCOM forces launched strikes today in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping. U.S. military aircraft targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities.
Commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz continue. U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready.
They had previously posted video of their Friday attack:
Despite the Memorandum of Understanding and the fragile ceasefire agreement, the Islamic Republic continues to stir up the waters and keep up the aggression.
Saturday’s U.S. response marks an escalation to their Friday night strikes, according to defense officials:
“It’s a larger strike than last night,” the official told Fox News.
“Iran had a chance to stop shooting … and they didn’t take it,” the official said. “Instead, they attacked another ship in Hormuz this morning, the MT Kiku.”
Meanwhile, the diplomatic back-and-forth continues:
President Trump on Friday called Iran's attack a "foolish violation" of the ceasefire, as Tehran and Washington appear to remain at odds on even basic points in their memorandum of understanding, including control of the strait and how Iran will spend its unfrozen funds. Mr. Trump has not publicly reacted to Saturday's strike.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the framework of a deal Friday between Lebanon and Israel, but Hezbollah, which was not part of the negotiations, rejected the deal on Saturday, calling it a "disgrace" and promised to keep fighting Israeli forces.
Democrats, on the other hand, don’t care that Iran was desperate to get nuclear weapons and that they’ve now repeatedly violated the agreement they signed. It’s all Trump’s fault in their fantasy world:
Thankfully, they're not running things.