US warplanes are attacking Iran after a drone strike on a cargo ship that Tehran called ‘fire control’.
The United States attacked Iran on Friday in response to the previous day’s drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. It is the most important test yet of the interim understanding reached last week by the two countries to begin working to end their months-long war and reopen the vital waterway.
US President Donald Trump said the drone attack violated the ceasefire agreement. The strikes came shortly after Trump told reporters, “You’re going to find out,” whether the US will respond.
The US Central Command said the military had attacked missile and drone sites and coastal radar sites in Iran.
“I don’t like that they fired yesterday, actually four of them,” Trump said at the White House shortly before the US retaliated. Asked why there would be strikes when Trump insisted talks with Tehran were going well, Trump said of Iran: “They’re a little different.”
He then shut down the questions and suddenly the reporters were taken out of his office.
Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the national security commission in Iran’s parliament, responded to Trump on social media earlier Friday, saying, “The Strait of Hormuz is ruled by Iran, so: Respect the laws” and “don’t make the mistake of controlling the escalation.”
“This is not a violation of the ceasefire; it is the administration of the ceasefire,” Azizi wrote.
The strikes end after an hour
US strikes in Iran ended about an hour after US Central Command announced the military action on social media, a US official with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The official spoke to the palace for disclosure to discuss the ongoing military operation.
The British navy said on Thursday that a container ship had been hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman, hours after Iran threatened the ships to stop using the route. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said no injuries were reported.
The development comes at a fragile time for the US and Iran as they work to negotiate a permanent end to the war. Iran continues to challenge the region and the US over its control of the Strait of Hormuz, even with the current interim agreement reached with the US last week.
The attack on the cargo ship came as the United Nations maritime agency launched an operation to evacuate the stranded ships this week, using an alternative route, hugging the coast of Oman rather than crossing the middle part of the strait.
The International Maritime Organization has suspended the transportation of people after the attack and said on Friday that they will not continue until there are assurances that other ships will not be attacked.
About 115 ships managed to get out of the disaster in recent days, leaving about 500 in the area, said Arsenio Dominguez, the organization’s secretary-general.
The opening of the alternative road was expected to reduce pressure on the country’s economy and remove Iran’s main source of profit from the ongoing peace talks with the US.
The US and Iran are still negotiating the terms of the deal, including issues such as getting ships off the main road and dealing with the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Under the interim agreement, both sides have 60 days to come up with details.
An attack on a cargo ship results in an inspection of the ship
Shipping analysts say the drone strike has cast a shadow over what has been a growing number of stranded vessels finally leaving the Gulf and an increase in the flow of crude oil tankers.
“The week of increasing trade confidence in the Strait of Hormuz has reached its first critical test,” said maritime data company Windward on X. It said that although the route remains open with 43 shipping facilities recorded after the incident, “the pace of recovery has slowed.”
On the Wednesday before Thursday’s strike, 78 ships passed through the port, the highest since the start of the war, though below the pre-war average of 130 or more a day.
At least two tankers derailed as they tried to pass through a UN-sponsored route near Oman after Iran insisted the ships use only routes approved by Tehran, according to maritime data and analyst firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
More than a dozen ships were still transiting the southern route after the attack, Lloyd’s said on Friday.
Lebanon and Israel take a step towards peace
Ambassadors from Israel and Lebanon announced the deal on Friday described as a peace step following months of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.
Nada Hamadeh, Lebanon’s ambassador to the US, called the draft a step that “allows our people to return to their country and allow all Lebanese to live in peace, security, and prosperity.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the plan was a “huge success” for Israel.
“The most important thing, first and foremost, is that Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon,” he said, adding that they will remain until Hezbollah is disarmed and is no longer a threat to Israel.
