Iranian forces fired on three merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz; a Qatari
LNG carrier was set alight and other ships were damaged. According to five
government officials and two IRGC members, President Pezeshkian angrily phoned
IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi, who told him he had neither approved nor been
notified of the action; the Supreme National Security Council likewise said it
was not informed. Officials say a marginal hardline faction acted independently,
and the covert operation derailed moderates’ efforts to negotiate with the
United States and to repair Iran’s weak economy.
