hormuz strait news: Strait of Hormuz: U.S target ships, carry out military strikes on Iranian territory, claims Tehran, Donald Trump says ceasefire still in effect
US President Donald Trump told an ABC reporter that the ceasefire was still in effect and tried to downplay the change. “It’s just a touch of love,” Trump told the reporter, according to the social media post. Iranian state media reported that the situation returned to normal after the attacks.
Renewed hostilities have broken out as Washington awaits Iran’s response to a US proposal that would stop the war but leave the most controversial issues, such as Iran’s nuclear program, unresolved for now.
Since the ceasefire came into force on April 7, mutual gunfire has been heard between the two sides from time to time.
Iran’s top joint military command accused the United States of violating the ceasefire by targeting an Iranian oil tanker and another ship and launching airstrikes on civilian areas on Qeshm Island in the strait and near coastal areas of Bandar Khamir Sirik on the mainland. The army said it responded by attacking US military ships east of the Strait of Hormuz and south of Chabahar port.
A spokesman for Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said the strikes inflicted “significant damage,” but U.S. Central Command said no assets were hit.
Centcom said Iran used missiles, drones and small boats in the attack targeting three Navy destroyers. The statement said the US targeted missile and drone sites and other locations in response. “CENTCOM does not wish to escalate tensions but remains ready and positioned to protect American forces.”
Iran Press TV later reported that “the situation on the Iranian islands and coastal cities along the Strait of Hormuz has now returned to normal” after the fire lasted several hours.
This is not the first time the two sides have opened fire since the ceasefire began.
On Monday, the US military said Tehran destroyed six small Iranian boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles as it tried to block US naval forces from clearing the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran-US Ceasefire
Before the latest talks, the United States had submitted a proposal to formally end the conflict. But it does not meet key U.S. demands that Iran suspend its nuclear work and reopen the strait, which before the war provided one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies.
Tehran said it had not yet reached a conclusion about the emerging plan.
Separately, the United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Iraq’s deputy oil minister and three militia leaders for supporting Iran.
Israel, which is also fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, announced on Thursday that it had killed a Hezbollah commander in an airstrike on Beirut the day before; This was Israel’s first attack on the Lebanese capital since a ceasefire was reached last month.
Stopping Israeli attacks on Lebanon is Iran’s main demand in negotiations with Washington.
