The US struck missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) storage sites belonging to Tehran, accusing Iran of launching a drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Revolutionary Guards retaliated by targeting US positions in the Persian Gulf. The mutual attacks further endangered the fragile ceasefire at a time when diplomacy is struggling to contain the war in the Middle East.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that the strikes on Iran were a response to "the unjust aggression of Iranian forces against commercial ships" and that these actions "clearly violated the ceasefire." The operation was described as a "strong response" to yesterday's attack on a commercial ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump said Iran attacked the ship with a drone, stating, "It is obvious that this is a stupid violation of our ceasefire agreement." Vice President JD Vance, in a post on his X account, warned that if Iran carries out new attacks, "violence will be met with violence."
Iran's state television reported that an explosion was heard on Friday night at the Taherouyeh pier in the southern city of Sirik. The television, citing a knowledgeable military source, reported that the explosion was caused by a projectile hitting the area.
Shortly after, Iran's state television announced that the Revolutionary Guards had targeted US points in the Persian Gulf region in retaliation for the US strikes. The Revolutionary Guards said in a statement on Telegram, "If the attack is repeated, our response will be broader than this."
Maritime traffic affected in the Strait of Hormuz
The mutual strikes have again complicated efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open at a time when the Pentagon and Tehran are negotiating a final agreement to end the war that began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Iran had warned ships not to enter or exit the strait without permission, but ships continued their passage, including via a route not approved by Tehran.
According to tracking platform Kpler, about half of the 42 ships that passed on Thursday used the unauthorized southern route along the Omani coast. The United Nations maritime agency reported that 115 ships and 2,500 sailors stranded due to the dispute were released in an evacuation operation before the attack, but the operation was suspended after the attack.
Oil prices, however, fell sharply despite all the tension. The decline was driven by hopes that traffic on the strategic waterway, through which about a fifth of the world's oil and gas exports pass, would continue to recover despite the latest flare-up.
Framework agreement on the Lebanon front
Israel and Lebanon announced that they, together with the US, signed an agreement that would pave the way for peace on their own front in the war. However, Iran-backed Hezbollah warned that this agreement would undermine plans to resolve the broader conflict.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the trilateral agreement, attended by Israeli and Lebanese representatives, "begins to create a framework for lasting peace and security." Rubio said, "This is the beginning of the beginning. There is a lot of work ahead."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the agreement as a victory against Iran, saying, "Iran is trying to pressure us to withdraw from southern Lebanon, but in fact Israel, Lebanon and the US are telling them, 'This does not concern you.'" Netanyahu stated that the agreement would allow the Lebanese army to return to two "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon, but that Israeli forces would remain in the security zone until Hezbollah is disarmed, and the return of displaced civilians would be prevented.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the yet-to-be-published framework as a "first step" toward the return of civilians to their homes "under the sovereignty of the Lebanese state." Meanwhile, Hezbollah supporters took to the streets of Beirut on Friday night to protest the agreement.
Hezbollah MP Hasan Fadlallah said the signing in Washington aimed to harm the US-Iran ceasefire, which envisions resolving the Lebanon issue through a broader peace process. Fadlallah warned that the Lebanese government cannot implement the agreement "unless it goes into a civil war with American support."
Nuclear oversight warning
Meanwhile, Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stressed that a final US-Iran agreement must include strong safeguards to ensure Tehran is not developing nuclear weapons.
Grossi said, "The Iranian government has declared quite clearly that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons." "But of course intentions are not enough. We must have a very strong verification system as soon as possible."
The interim ceasefire agreement stipulates that Iran's pre-war stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60%, estimated at 440 kilograms (970 pounds), be diluted under IAEA supervision.
