U.S. strikes Iranian sites after drone attack on tanker in Hormuz

The U.S. military struck Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar sites on Friday after a drone attack on the Singapore-flagged M/V Ever Lovely in the Strait of Hormuz, the first American strike on Iran since the ceasefire extension agreed last week.

The vessel was hit Thursday about 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Dahit, Oman, on its starboard side. The bridge was damaged, but there were no casualties or environmental impact. The ship was the Singapore-flagged M/V Ever Lovely, and U.S. officials identified Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as the attackers.

President Donald Trump called the attack a “foolish violation” of the ceasefire and said Iran had fired four attack drones, one of which struck the ship while the U.S. shot down the other three. When asked later whether Tehran would face consequences, Trump said, “You’ll find out.” The White House had not yet detailed the military response when he first spoke publicly about the attack.

Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz before the war. Shipping through the chokepoint had been cautiously recovering, but the attack again unsettled tanker traffic and briefly lifted crude before prices reversed. Brent settled at $71.99 a barrel and U.S. crude at $69.23. The International Maritime Organization also paused its evacuation effort for ships and seafarers stranded in the region after the attack.