WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The weeks old truce was broken Tuesday as the United States and Iran traded strikes in the Middle East.
U.S. Central Command said its forces completed a new round of offensive strikes against Iran, hitting more than 80 targets with precision munitions as an immediate response to Iran's latest attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said in a press release that U.S. forces struck Iranian air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and near the strait to degrade Iran's ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor.
Iran recently attacked a number of commercial vessels transiting the key trade route, including A Qatari LNG tanker and a Saudi crude tanker.
It prompted maritime authorities to upgrade the threat risk for ships passing through the Strait to 'severe.'
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it launched strikes on US military targets across Bahrain and Kuwait, including an air base in Bahrain that hosts U.S. forces, in retaliation to U.S. attacks.
The resumption of war came on the day NATO leaders gathered for a summit in Turkey, where Secretary General Mark Rutte blamed Iran for 'basically violating the ceasefire' by attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Washington revoked a waiver on sanctions on Iranian oil sales in addition to strikes saying that it was 'punishment' for attacks on ships.
The NATO chief termed the actions as 'absolutely necessary.'
The latest escalation in the Middle East conflict led to a 5 percent rise in oil prices, as it fueled concerns over further supply disruptions.
Brent crude oil rose above $78 per barrel on Wednesday, while the US-traded WTI crossed $74 per barrel.
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