The US launched a new series of strikes on Iran on Monday after Tehran was accused of attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command said in a post on X that the "powerful strikes" aimed to "impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway".
"The US strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz," it said.
"Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous and a clear violation of the ceasefire."
Iranian state media reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Qesh, Sirik and other areas. Early reports on social media included video of what were said to be fires burning at the port in Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz.
CNN quoted a US official as saying the strikes are “punishment, not proportional”. Axios quoted another official who said the targets included Iranian air defence systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missile sites, drone launch sites and port facilities.
The US earlier said it was revoking a general licence that authorised the sale of Iranian oil, putting new economic pressure on Tehran after it was blamed for recent attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
A US official warned Iran's actions in the waterway were "wholly unacceptable" and "will be met with consequences".
Qatar's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said Doha holds Iran "fully legally responsible" for an attack that hit a Qatari LNG tanker in the strait, causing a fire in the engine room.
Al Rekkayat was one of two vessels reported to have been struck by missiles while transiting through the waterway on Monday night.
The US and Iran declared a ceasefire in early April, and in mid-June the two sides signed an agreement aimed at bringing the war to a close.
Despite the agreement and promises to work towards peace, both countries have accused each other of breaching the ceasefire.
Tehran says the US has continued to launch attacks on Iranian territory and has allowed Israel to continue its war in Lebanon, while the US has highlighted Iranian mine-laying and drone attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian regime has in recent days put on a public show of force and defiance, with Tehran's top leaders appearing publicly at funeral commemorations for Iran's former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He was killed during the opening strikes by US and Israel that also attacked a senior command meeting in Tehran.
Some among the throngs of mourners at this week's funeral events issued death threats against US President Donald Trump.
Oil prices, which had cooled considerably in recent weeks, jumped on news of the US attacks.
