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U.S. and Iran Exchange Airstrikes After Tanker Hit, Ceasefire Teeters

The strikes threaten the Pakistan‑brokered 60‑day ceasefire and raise the prospect that Gulf states could be pulled into wider fighting.

Overview

  • A Panama‑flagged tanker identified by U.S. officials as the Kiku was struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, an attack the U.S. attributes to Iran.
  • U.S. Central Command said U.S. warplanes hit Iranian surveillance, communications, air‑defence, drone storage and mine‑laying sites in retaliation for the tanker strike.
  • Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it answered with rocket and drone strikes on U.S. facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain and claimed destruction of eight targets, a claim that remains unverified.
  • Gulf states reported air‑defence activations and civilian alarms, and President Trump posted a public threat to Tehran that he said could lead to the republic's destruction if attacks continue.
  • The exchanges have reopened the key dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz, put the June 17 framework under acute strain, and risk disrupting shipping, insurance costs and the wider diplomatic talks.