Overview
- Hours after the Tuesday attacks, maritime authorities reported three commercial vessels were struck in the Strait of Hormuz, including Qatar's LNG tanker Al Rekayyat, and one ship caught fire.
- U.S. Central Command said American forces launched a series of powerful strikes on Iranian military and coastal targets in direct response to the attacks on merchant shipping.
- The U.S. Treasury revoked a general license that had allowed limited Iranian oil sales under last month's memorandum of understanding, restoring economic pressure on Tehran.
- Qatar formally blamed Iran for the strike on its tanker and summoned Iran's deputy ambassador, while Iran condemned the U.S. actions as violations of the MOU and threatened retaliation.
- The exchanges endanger the interim deal designed to reopen the Hormuz corridor, raise the risk of further disruption to global energy and shipping, and have already pushed up oil market risk and insurance costs.