Trump confirms US strikes on Iran; Tehran strikes back: What we know

The US military has confirmed renewed strikes against Iran after an Iranian drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, with each country accusing the other of violating the ceasefire agreement. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said US aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, as well as coastal radar sites. Iranian naval forces responded by striking US military targets in the region. Tehran did not provide details about what it hit. In a statement on X, CENTCOM said US forces conducted the strikes in a “powerful response” to Iran’s one-way drone attack a day earlier on Singapore’s M/V Ever Lovely as it transited the Strait of Hormuz. On Truth Social, Donald Trump posted details about the Iranian strike: “One of the Drones solidly hit the upper deck of a large and very expensive Cargo Carrying Ship.” He added: “Damage was done, but the Ship was able to proceed on its way. We knocked down three other Drones. Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement.” The latest US strikes on Iran concluded about an hour after CENTCOM announced the military action, according to a US official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. JD Vance urges Tehran to “pick up the phone” Defending the new round of US strikes, Vice President JD Vance said in a social media post that the US had “honoured” the ceasefire agreement, but warned that the US would respond to Iranian aggression. “If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone,” he said, referring to the memorandum of understanding the US signed with Iran. “But violence will be met with violence.” Iran’s response In a statement carried by Iranian state media, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said the US strikes were a violation of the US-Iran ceasefire and it warned “our response will be more extensive” if the aggression were repeated. Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, said on social media: “The Strait of Hormuz is governed by Iran, so: Respect the rules” and to “not mistake control for escalation.” “This is not a violation of the ceasefire; it is ceasefire management,” Azizi wrote. British first to report container ship incident The UK’s maritime security agency (UKMTO) was the first to report that a cargo ship had been “hit by a projectile”. Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had warned ships not to use the UN-backed transit corridor through the Strait of Hormuz without Tehran’s permission. Hours after the IRGC threat, a commercial ship, later confirmed to be Singapore’s M/V Ever Lovely, was struck off the coast of Oman while travelling on the UN-approved route. UKMTO’s initial report that a ship had been “hit by a projectile” was later confirmed by US officials, who said it had been struck by an Iranian drone. United Nations maritime agency The development came during a fragile time for the US and Iran as they work to negotiate a permanent end to the war. Iran has increasingly challenged the region and the US over its control of the Strait of Hormuz, even with the current interim deal it reached with the US last week.The attack on the cargo ship happened while the United Nations maritime agency was beginning an operation to move stranded ships out of the Strait this week, using an alternative route, hugging the shores of Oman rather than sailing through the central part of the Strait. About 500 ships still in the area The International Maritime Organisation halted the evacuations after the attack and said they will not resume until there are guarantees from Tehran that they will not attack other ships.About 115 ships were able to move out of the Strait in recent days and there are still about 500 in the area, said Arsenio Dominguez, the agency’s secretary-general.The opening of the alternative passage through the Strait was expected to relieve pressure on the world economy and remove Iran’s main source of leverage in ongoing peace talks with the US. Less than 60 days left for negotiations Under the interim understanding held a week ago, the two sides have 60 days to work out the details. The US and Iran are still negotiating the deal’s terms, including issues such as getting ships through the Strait and addressing the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Ship movements before the drone strike Shipping analysts said the drone strike casts a shadow over what had been a growing stream of trapped vessels finally leaving the Gulf and an increasing flow of tankers carrying crude oil.“A week of widening commercial confidence in the Strait of Hormuz has hit its first significant test,” said marine data company Windward on X. It said that while the Strait remains operationally open with 43 transits recorded after the incident, “the pace of normalisation has slowed.”On Wednesday before Thursday’s drone strike, 78 vessels transited the Strait, the highest since the war began, although below the pre-war averages of 130 or more per day. Marine data and analytic firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence has revealed at least two tankers that reversed course while attempting to transit the Strait on the UN-backed route near Oman after Iran insisted vessels use only the Tehran-approved routes.More than two dozen ships were still transiting the Strait’s southern route after the attack, Lloyd’s said. Israel and Lebanon take a step toward peace Meanwhile, Israel and Lebanon have signed a tentative agreement to end fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah. Both sides described the deal as a step toward peace to end the four-month-old conflict.Nada Hamadeh, Lebanon’s ambassador to the US, called the framework a move toward “enabling our people to go back to their land and allowing all Lebanese to live in peace, security, and prosperity.” With input from The Associated Press and Reuters