US military launches ‘powerful’ new strikes on Iran as Treasury revokes permission for oil sales

The United States ratcheted up pressure Tuesday on Iran, launching "powerful" new airstrikes and revoking permission for oil sales after Tehran targeted three vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. said the strikes were on commercial vessels that were transiting the strait, which were "crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway." Reports indicate the ships were from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

"U.S. Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway," CENTCOM said. "Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire."

The strikes come after the U.S. and Iran signed a "memorandum of understanding" last month, which said both sides have committed to “negotiating and achieving the final deal in a maximum 60 days, extended with mutual consent.”

The U.S. and Iran are set to meet on July 11 in Islamabad to discuss further peace talks as the two countries remain in a 60-day negotiating period to permanently end fighting

The U.S. Treasury Department also announced Tuesday its oil license for Iran would be revoked following the attacks on the tankers.

The newly revoked license sets forth a wind-down period for Iran's oil transactions with a deadline of July 17. The license, which originally had an Aug. 21 deadline, came as part of a deal to secure peace between the U.S. and Iran.

Oil prices rose 5% following the Treasury Department's announcement. The national gas price average is $3.79, according to AAA. The average gas price did not see an immediate shift following the announcements.

The Strait of Hormuz, the waterway that carries about 20% of the world's oil and natural gas, has been blockaded by Iran for most of the duration of the conflict, which began with U.S. strikes into Iran on Feb. 28.

The license was meant to aid in the recovery of global oil and gas prices after they shot up in the wake of the initial conflict. U.S. sanctions on the sale of Iranian oil have been in place since 1979.

Negotiators from both countries have discussed limits on Iran's nuclear program and the easing of sanctions on Iran. Easing Iranian oil sales also was included in the peace negotiations.

Trump threatend on Monday to resume bombing campaigns in Iran if a peace deal is not reached.

"We're either going to make a deal or we're going to finish the job," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "We can knock down their bridges in one hour, we can knock out their energy supply."

The U.S. launched retaliatory attacks against Iran on Friday and accused the country of violating the ceasefire with "unwanted aggression" in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Iran’s dangerous behavior undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor," U.S. Central Command wrote in a statement Friday.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage. The Center Square also contributed to this report.