The US has invaded Iran after an Iranian drone attack on a cargo ship, challenging a ceasefire.
Washington – The U.S. military says it struck Iran on Friday with an attack on an Iranian merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first U.S. attack on Iran since the two countries agreed to extend an already strained deal last week.
The strikes targeted Iran’s missile and aircraft storage facilities and radar sites, US Central Command said in a statement posted on social media, calling it a “strong response” to Iran’s “dangerous” behavior.
“Unnecessary aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces has clearly violated the ceasefire,” CENTCOM said.
One day earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps he hit a Singapore-flagged cargo ship, a US official confirmed to CBS News on Thursday. The ship’s bridge was damaged, but no injuries or environmental impact were reported, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre, which said the ship was not in Oman’s waters.
President Trump called the attack a “senseless violation” of the US-Iran ceasefire agreement, which was extended for 60 days in a mutual agreement between the two countries last week. Asked by reporters on Friday if Iran will face any consequences, Mr answered: “You will find out.”
The Iranian drone attack – and the US response – could mark a setback to the Trump administration’s efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed to most shipping traffic for months. Shortly after the ship was hit, the United Nations Maritime Organization halted efforts to evacuate hundreds of ships and thousands of sailors stranded in the Persian Gulf. The agency said the ship “did not go under the IMO framework for evacuation.”
US-Iran memorandum of understanding he says Iran must organize a safe, free passage through the Strait of Hormuz “using its best efforts” for 60 days. A week after Mr. After Trump signed the deal, the number of ships sailing through the crisis every day increased, while oil prices fell to near pre-war levels.
However, disagreements over the issue persist. The US favors a route through the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz, hugging the coast of Oman, while Iran has said ships still need to get its permission and use the northern route along the Iranian coast. Iran has also not decided to collect tolls on commercial vessels after the 60-day period expires, an idea the US and its regional allies have called unacceptable.
Iran’s Persian Strait Gulf Authority said on Thursday: “Any passage on routes outside the framework designated by the PGSA will not be covered by guarantees of safe passage and will not be entitled to insurance or related liabilities.”
It is also not clear what effect the renewed US strikes on Iran will have on the talks between the two countries that will discuss Iran’s nuclear program in the next two months. The two sides began a cease-fire in early April, and while that arrangement was repeatedly tested with tit-for-tat strikes, the US military did not relaunch a major bombing campaign against Iran that lasted more than a month.
