U.S. Central Command Launches Strikes in Response to Attack on M/V GFS Galaxy in Strait of Hormuz; Iran Announces Closure (Report)
One civilian crew member is missing and the vessel sustained significant engine-room damage and an onboard fire that prevented it from continuing its journey.
STRAIT OF HORMUZ — U.S. Central Command forces began a third round of strikes against Iran on July 11 after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces attacked the Cyprus-flagged container ship M/V GFS Galaxy transiting the strait.
One civilian crew member is missing and the vessel sustained significant engine-room damage and an onboard fire that prevented it from continuing its journey.
Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to all traffic until further notice and until the end of U.S. operations in the region.
Iranian state media, citing the IRGC Navy, stated that it fired a warning shot at a vessel that had deactivated its tracking system and strayed from approved routes. The vessel stopped after the warning.
The IRGC Navy warned that no vessel would be permitted to cross and that any misstep by adversaries would meet a severe response.
M/V GFS Galaxy Attack And U.S. Response
CENTCOM stated that the attack on M/V GFS Galaxy occurred while the vessel was transiting the Strait of Hormuz. One civilian crew member is missing, and the vessel was unable to continue its journey after the attack.
CENTCOM stated the strikes responded to the attack on the vessel and formed part of ongoing efforts to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial ships in the strait. The strikes followed earlier attacks by the United States on July 7 and July 8.
The Iranian warning shot and closure declaration occurred on or around the same date. Iranian state media reported the IRGC Navy action against a vessel that had killed its tracking and deviated from designated routes.
No vessel name, flag, or further identifying details for the vessel referenced in the Iranian statement have been released in open sources. No casualties or damage from the warning shot itself have been reported.
These events follow attacks on three commercial tankers on July 6-7 that the United States attributed to Iran and that prompted prior U.S. retaliatory strikes.
