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 "wait and see" about retaliatory strikes less than two hours before the U.S. strikes.

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 5:21 PM.