Iran and US exchange strikes as Hormuz tensions stress agreement
It was reported that a tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz during the mutual attacks of the USA and Iran, and the tension on the critical waterway strained the peace agreement between the two countries.
In the first talks since the memorandum of understanding was signed last week, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it targeted US military positions on Saturday and the foreign ministry accused the US of violating the agreement, Iranian state media Press TV reported.
CNN reached out to the White House and CENTCOM for comment, but a US official told CNN the US had “detected several drones” and added that they failed to reach their targets.
Bahrain, which hosts a US military base, reported that Iran launched drone attacks on its territory early Saturday morning. The country’s foreign ministry condemned the attacks as “a clear violation of Bahrain’s sovereignty”. The target was unclear and there was no initial comment from Tehran.
Meanwhile, a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an “unidentified projectile” on Saturday, according to UK Merchant Marine Operations (UKMTO). UKMTO stated that the ships were damaged but no crew was injured, and advised ships to pass through the area with caution.
The developments mark the latest in a series of back-and-forth attacks around the strait and cast uncertainty over the US-Iran agreement signed earlier this month that envisions a gradual resumption of normal maritime traffic.
The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC), overseen by the US Navy, raised the threat level in the strait to “significant” on Saturday, a step it said it took following attacks on commercial ships. Meanwhile, JMIC said a route through the Strait of Hormuz near Oman had been expanded to allow more simultaneous flows of maritime traffic in both directions, suggesting that the United States was withdrawing control of Iran’s waterway.
Iran’s attacks on Saturday came after the US military launched an attack on Iranian military targets around the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. CENTCOM said, “US aircraft hit Iran’s missile and unmanned aerial vehicle depots and coastal radar sites.” “The unwarranted attack by Iranian forces on commercial shipping was a clear violation of the ceasefire.”
The escalation began with Iran’s attack on a commercial ship near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday; US President Donald Trump called it a “stupid violation” of the agreement to end the war with Iran. A US official downplayed the possibility of escalation following the attacks, telling CNN that the attacks did not reflect a return to major combat operations, at least for now.
Vice President J.D. Vance, who took a leading role in negotiating the deal with Iran announced last week, said Friday evening that “violence will be met with violence.”
The latest attacks have once again destabilized the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping chokepoints, amid a fragile memorandum of understanding signed between the United States and Iran.
The memorandum of understanding states that Iran will “use its best efforts to make arrangements” to ensure the safe passage of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz and that the traffic in the strait will return to its pre-war volume. However, it did not provide detailed conditions for meeting the requirements.
The two sides put forward different views on whether Iran could collect transit fees from ships. Trump insisted the strait would remain free, but Tehran argued it would have the right to charge ships passing through it.
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