Iranian drones hit Bahrain after US air strikes on Iran
Hostilities between the US and Iran have reignited as new US strikes against Iranian targets and reports of attacks in the Gulf raise concerns about the durability of the fragile ceasefire.
Bahrain reported an attack involving multiple Iranian drones early on Saturday, while the UK maritime safety agency said a merchant ship was hit by an “unidentified projectile”.
The circumstances surrounding the ship attack are not yet clear.
The framework agreement between Iran and the USA, which came into force last week, had eased the tension in the war that has affected the region since February 28, when the USA and Israel began their attacks on Iran.
The agreement envisions an end to conflicts and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital for global oil trade.
However, for the first time since the agreement was signed, the US military struck areas in Iran overnight.
U.S. Central Command said the strikes targeted Iran’s missile and drone storage facilities as well as coastal radar facilities.
CENTCOM said these attacks were in retaliation for Thursday’s drone attack by Iran on a commercial cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
The tit-for-tat rise continued on Saturday.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its naval forces attacked US targets in the region in retaliation for attacks carried out overnight.
The claim could not be independently verified and has not been verified by the United States.
Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the US operation as a “blatant violation” of the framework agreement.
US President Donald Trump had previously held Iran responsible for the attack on the commercial ship and described it as a “stupid” violation of the agreement.
The framework agreement is intended to be a starting point for broader negotiations over the next 60 days focusing on Iran’s controversial nuclear program.
The Wall Street Journal quoted a senior US official as saying the ceasefire remained in effect despite the latest hostilities, and described the US strikes as merely retaliation for the attack on the cargo ship.
However, the renewed violence has cast doubt on the future of the planned talks.
Iranian media reported that there were explosions throughout the night in the city of Sirik in the southern Hormozgan province near the Strait of Hormuz.
State broadcaster IRIB also reported that shells hit Qeshm Island.
Some US media outlets, citing an unnamed US official, said six US Air Force fighter jets struck four Iranian positions along the Strait of Hormuz and on Qeshm Island in an operation that lasted about 90 minutes.
The latest tension followed an attack on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
According to the US military’s statement, Iran used a drone to hit a Singapore-flagged ship that left the waterway along the Oman coast.
The incident occurred a few hours after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard warned that safe passage through the strait could only be guaranteed through routes determined by Iran.
In response, the United Nations International Maritime Organization temporarily suspended operations to escort stranded seafarers.
The organization said 2,500 sailors were allowed to leave the Strait of Hormuz before the mission was halted.
Following the start of US and Israeli attacks on Iran in early March, Iran had largely blocked shipping through the strategic waterway through threats and military action.
The United States responded with its own naval blockade, targeting ships entering or leaving Iranian ports.
Both measures were abolished under the framework agreement.
