A U.S. official told NBC News that the overnight attacks on Iran were carried out because of Iranian strikes on ships in the strait.

“This response is a direct result of acts of international terrorism committed by Iran against civilian vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” the U.S. official said. “The Iranians know the consequences of their absurd actions, but they still chose to carry out these attacks.”

The U.S. official described these strikes as larger in scale than previous U.S. retaliatory strikes on the Islamic Republic and said they were carried out using Air Force fighter jets and Navy tactical aircraft.