US military strikes Iran in retaliation for drone attack on commercial ship
WASHINGTON – U.S. Central Command announced June 26 that its forces conducted strikes against Iran in what the military called "a powerful response" to Tehran's attack on a commercial ship a day earlier in the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. aircraft struck missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites. The strikes came in response to an Iranian drone attack June 25 on the M/V Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged cargo ship.
President Donald Trump had called the Iranian attack a clear violation of the ceasefire for peace negotiations. He told reporters to "you'll find out" about retaliatory strikes less than two hours before the U.S. strikes.
Trump said Iran sent at least four attack drones, but U.S. forces knocked down three. The fourth hit the cargo ship, but the ship was able to proceed despite the damage, he said.
"Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our ceasefire agreement," Trump said on social media.
When asked about two hours before the strikes whether the ceasefire would hold, Trump told reporters they'd "find out."
"I don't like the fact that they took a shot yesterday. Actually four," Trump said in the Oval Office. "Not an allied ship, but a ship. A very expensive ship and it was fine, but it took a little beating. They shouldn't be doing that. You'll find out."
Iran had said the attack on the cargo ship was in response to an "interventionist, irresponsible and provocative" joint statement by the United States and six countries that rejected tolls on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
"Safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz cannot be guaranteed under ambiguous arrangements, parallel routes or decision-making that does not take Iran's role as a coastal state into account," Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on social media.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US military strikes Iran in retaliation for drone attack on commercial ship
Reporting by Bart Jansen, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published June 26, 2026 at 5:29 PM.