The US military has carried out strikes against targets in Iran after President Donald Trump accused Iran of “foolish violations” of its nuclear deal following the attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
No injuries were reported when the ship was hit by a plane in the same direction on Thursday, an incident that led to the evacuation of more than 11,000 sailors who were stranded in the region.
In response, US Central Command said on Friday it had struck missile and drone storage facilities and coastal radar sites. There is no comment yet from Iran.
Just seconds before the strikes were announced, President Trump said he would “see” when asked if the US would respond to an attack on Iran.
US Central Command – or Centcom – described the strikes as a “forceful response” to drone attacks.
“The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by the Iranian military is a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the statement said.
“Furthermore, Iran’s dangerous behavior has harmed freedom of movement as commerce increasingly flows through key international trade corridors.”
Centcom said the US military would “continue to provide secure communications and support for commercial vessels passing through the port”.
At the moment, it is unclear whether the US attack was isolated or part of a larger, ongoing response.
After the attack by the US and Israel against Iran at the end of February, Tehran effectively closed the road – an important waterway for the export of oil and gas – which caused a rise in oil prices worldwide and choked the export of other important materials such as fertilizers.
The US and Iran agreed on June 17 to end hostilities under a 14-point memorandum of understanding, which also called on Iran to use “its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels without charge for 60 days”.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday afternoon, Trump declined to be drawn into questions about how the US would respond to the drone strike, or whether he considers the ceasefire still in place.
“You will find out,” he said. “I don’t like the story that they shot yesterday. They shouldn’t have done that.”
Asked why he believed Iran would do such a job, Trump only said “they’re a little different”.
In recent days, Trump and other US officials have emphasized that negotiations with Iran are progressing well, saying that Iran has rejected any proposal for commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump said Iran had informed the US that “there will be no payments, no insurance costs and no costs of any kind demanded or received”.
“If this is false information, the negotiations will end immediately,” he added.
The US has criticized reports that Iran is charging tolls on tankers passing through the road, and many see any tolling scheme as a violation of international maritime law.
On Tuesday, Iranian and Omani officials held talks in Oman’s capital, Muscat, to discuss “the future management of shipping”, although Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi said both countries are committed to “safe and free navigation”.
However, Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, told state-run media that “everyone should know that the management of the Strait of Hormuz will not go back to the way it was before the war.”
