The situation in the Middle East escalated sharply in the early hours of June 27 after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) carried out massive air strikes on military sites in southern Iran, Al Jazeera reported.
The operation is a direct response to an Iranian attack on international shipping carried out earlier this week. The attack seriously jeopardized the ceasefire brokered by Pakistan just days ago.
The reason: Attack on a merchant ship
Tensions escalated on June 25 when Iranian drones attacked the Singapore-flagged container ship “Ever Lovely“ in the Strait of Hormuz. The ship was moving along a UN-approved safe corridor. US President Donald Trump described Iran's actions as a "stupid violation" of the ceasefire agreement from Islamabad.
90-minute punitive operation
The US aircraft operated for an hour and a half on previously designated targets in Iranian territory. According to the official Pentagon statement, they were hit:
- Storage depots for ballistic missiles and drones;
- Coast radar systems and command posts of KGIR;
- Military sites on the strategic island of Qeshm and the port city of Sirik.
The Pentagon stressed that the strikes were a “proportionate response in self-defense“ and the US do not aim to resume the full-scale war that began in February.
Iran and Tehran's reaction
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reacted immediately. Iranian forces announced that they had carried out “retaliatory strikes“ on US military installations in the region and warned that any further US action would be met with a “much more far-reaching response“. Iranian authorities accused Washington of directly violating the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding.
Global implications for shipping
The escalation has already caused severe humanitarian and economic consequences. The UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) announced that it is suspending the mission to evacuate more than 11,000 sailors who have been stranded in the region since the conflict began in February. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz - the most important artery for global oil supplies - has once again been completely paralyzed.