Washington, July 12 (SANA)The United States launched a new round of airstrikes against targets in Iran early Sunday, withU.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)saying the operation was carried out in response to an attack on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz.CENTCOM said in a statement posted on X that U.S. forces had begun their third round of strikes against Iranian targets this week following what it described as a direct attack by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the Cyprus-flagged container ship GFS Galaxy while it was transiting the strategic waterway.According to the statement, one crew member remains missing after the attack, which triggered a fire and caused extensive damage to the vessel’s engine room, leaving the ship unable to continue its voyage.The U.S. militarysaid the strikes were conducted under the orders of the commander-in-chief and were intended to “degrade Iranian capabilities and protect civilian mariners and freedom of commercial navigation” through the Strait of Hormuz.CENTCOM also accused Tehran of failing to comply with relevant international memoranda of understanding.Commenting on the operation,U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegsethwrote on X that “Iran made a bad choice, and now it is paying the price.”The strikes came shortly after the IRGC announced the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz, citing what it described as a “security breach and illegal foreign interference.” It also said it had detained a commercial vessel that it alleged violated maritime regulations and ignored official warnings.