US launches third airstrike on Iran; Defense Secretary says Iran made 'terrible choice'

The United States conducted a third wave of airstrikes against Iran on the evening of July 11th, responding to what it called Iran's "flagrant attack" on a container ship flying the Cypriot flag. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin declared that Iran had made a "terrible choice" and would now pay the price for its actions.

According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the latest strikes, occurring at 7:15 p.m. EST, were intended to counter the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) assault on the "M/V GFS Galaxy." CENTCOM emphasized that these actions aim to degrade Iran's capability to attack civilian vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz freely and to make Iran accountable for its behavior.

The incident resulted in the disappearance of one crew member, and the ship suffered a fire and severe damage to its engine room, rendering it inoperable. CENTCOM stressed that after Iran was previously held responsible for attacking merchant ships, the U.S. had offered Iran another chance to demonstrate compliance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by both parties. However, Iran again failed to fulfill its commitments.

CENTCOM also affirmed that this series of airstrikes was executed under the direction of President Trump. The report notes that the U.S. military had previously attacked Iran twice this week, escalating tensions amid failed mediation efforts. U.S. officials had urged Iran to cease attacks and maintain open sea lanes, with mediators from Qatar, Pakistan, and Oman attempting to facilitate negotiations.

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Iran made a terrible choice, and now they will pay the price.