U.S. and Iran trade fire in Strait of Hormuz; each claims other shot first
Satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway between Iran and Oman, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea.
Gallo Pictures | Getty Images
While the United States and Iran opened fire on the Strait of Hormuz, each side claimed that the other had initiated the attack.
The resumption of hostilities further jeopardizes the two countries’ ceasefire agreement; The ceasefire agreement had already been badly damaged by repeated accusations that its terms had been violated.
President Donald Trump insisted the ceasefire remains in effect and said the attacks were “just a love faucet” during a call with an ABC News reporter on Thursday.
Later Real Social postTrump claimed the US had “totally destroyed” the Iranians involved in the swap, including small boats and drones that “fell beautifully into the Ocean, like a butterfly landing on its grave.”
He reiterated that Iran would face more attacks if it did not reach a nuclear deal.
“Just like we knocked them out again today, in the future, if they don’t sign their Agreement, we will knock them out much harder and more violently, FAST!” Trump wrote.
The flare-up in the strait, one of the world’s major oil shipping routes and a central choke point in the ongoing war, came as Iran was reportedly reviewing a US proposal to end the war and advance nuclear talks.
US Central Command, expressionHe said his forces “prevented unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes” as three U.S. Navy destroyers passed through the strait late Thursday.
CENTCOM said “Iranian forces launched numerous missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and small boats” as US ships passed towards the Gulf of Oman. “No US assets were hit.”
The statement said CENTCOM “eliminates incoming threats and targets Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces, including missile and drone launch sites, command and control locations, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes.”
“CENTCOM does not want to escalate tensions, but maintains its position and preparation to protect American forces.”
Iran had previously accused the United States of violating the two countries’ fragile ceasefire by striking multiple targets in and around the strait.
“Aggressor, terrorist and rogue American military targeted an Iranian tanker moving from Iranian coastal waters towards the strait, in violation of the ceasefire,” an Iranian military official said in a translated statement to state news outlets.
The spokesman said Iranian armed forces “immediately retaliated by attacking US military ships in the east of the Strait of Hormuz and south of Chabahar Port, causing serious damage to them,” according to the reported statement.
CENTCOM’s statement does not mention the ceasefire, which began as a two-week temporary ceasefire on April 8 and was unilaterally extended by Trump.
Seeking comment on the strikes, the White House referred CNBC to CENTCOM’s statement.
