U.S. Central Command forces conducted a third round of strikes against Iran on Saturday evening after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked a commercial container ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to CENTCOM, the IRGC targeted the Cyprus-flagged vessel M/V GFS Galaxy, leaving one civilian crew member missing and causing a major fire in the engine room that rendered the ship unable to continue its voyage.

The latest U.S. operation was ordered directly by President Donald Trump after Iran once again failed to comply with the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. CENTCOM stated that despite being given another opportunity to stop attacking commercial vessels, the IRGC chose to escalate by striking the GFS Galaxy.

Iran responded by declaring the Strait of Hormuz “closed” once more, claiming a vessel using an “unauthorized route” had been hit by a warning shot. The move further escalates the confrontation over one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.

The U.S. strikes are designed to continue degrading Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and international commercial shipping. With more than 20 American warships currently in the region and thousands of U.S. troops deployed across the Middle East, the Trump administration is maintaining a high level of military readiness as tensions remain elevated.