The US military has conducted strikes on Iranian targets after President Donald Trump accused Iran of a «foolish violation» of its truce following an attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command said it had struck missile and drone storage facilities and coastal radar positions on Friday, in response to a drone attack on a cargo ship on Thursday which halted a planned evacuation of sailors stuck in the region.
Tehran said the cargo ship was attacked because it was using an unauthorised route to transit through the Gulf waterway.
After the US strikes, Iran in turn accused the US of violating their interim deal and said it had struck targets linked to American forces.
US Central Command – or Centcom – described the American strikes as «a powerful response» to the drone attack a day earlier.
«The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire,» it said in a statement.
«Furthermore, Iran’s dangerous behaviour undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor.»
Centcom said the US military would «continue to provide safe passage coordination and support to commercial vessels transiting the strait».
Iran’s foreign ministry released a statement on Saturday morning, saying the country had carried out strikes against targets linked to American forces in response, and blamed the «treaty-breaking US regime» for the situation.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its navy had struck US military positions in the region, without providing further details. The BBC contacted the Pentagon for comment.
Bahrain’s foreign ministry said the country had come under attack from «several Iranian drones» early on Saturday, condemning the action as a «flagrant violation» of its sovereignty and accusing Tehran of undermining peace efforts.
Also on Saturday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile in the Strait of Hormuz.
The vessel sustained damage to its bridge, but all crew were safe and no environmental damage had been reported, UKMTO added.
