"By order of the Commander in Chief, United States Central Command forces have begun carrying out additional attacks against Iran with the aim of further reducing its ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," the US Army Central Command (CENTCOM) has reported.
As the military command itself explained, these operations are part of the response to "recent unjustified aggressions against merchant ships and their civilian crews" attributed to Iran, in the midst of a dispute over the control and security of the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing that said ships "were navigating freely through this strategically important international waterway."