Iran claims it attacked a second ship in Hormuz

Iran announced Sunday that it attacked a second vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz, shortly after a U.S. offensive against the country in retaliation for an earlier Iranian bombing of a ship in the strategic waterway.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps stated in a release, reported by state broadcaster IRIB, that it attacked "a second infringing vessel" in Hormuz. Hours earlier, the Iranian armed forces had announced the closure of the strait, accusing several vessels of ignoring orders to transit only through an authorized zone. They reported stopping a ship's progress after firing warning shots.

Early Sunday morning (Saturday in the United States), the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) reported the start of a new round of attacks against Iran. This followed Tehran's bombing of a ship flying a Cypriot flag that was crossing the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian media reported several explosions in the Bushehr province, home to a nuclear plant, and in various towns near the Strait of Hormuz. No information on damages or casualties is available at this time. Tehran, for its part, has responded by launching missiles and drones against countries in the region hosting U.S. bases, such as Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar.

According to Centcom, Iran attacked a container ship flying a Cypriot flag, causing a fire and damage to its engine room that forced it to stop. One crew member is missing. U.S. forces justified the attack against the Islamic Republic by stating they are "degrading its capability" to attack other vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.