United States strikes Iran after drone attack on cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON/DUBAI: The United States military struck targets in Iran on Friday after Washington blamed Tehran for a drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, raising tensions despite a ceasefire agreed last week.

United States Central Command said aircraft targeted missile and drone storage sites as well as coastal radar facilities. A United States official said the operation had ended.

Iranian state media reported that a projectile hit an area near a pier in Sirik in southern Iran. The Revolutionary Guards said Iranian naval forces responded by targeting United States military positions in the region.

Both sides accused each other of violating the ceasefire understanding reached last week.

United States President Donald Trump blamed Iran for Thursday’s attack on a cargo ship travelling near Oman’s coast, saying it breached the agreement. Tehran has said it would control the Strait of Hormuz and warned Gulf states against siding with Washington.

United States Vice President JD Vance said Washington had complied with the ceasefire and that Iran should use diplomatic channels if it had concerns over the agreement.

The United States military said it would continue to support safe passage for commercial vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian state media, citing an unnamed military source, said several warning shots had earlier been fired from Sirik towards vessels accused of violating navigation rules in the strait. The source also said two warning missiles were launched from the nearby Karpan area towards the waterway.

The Revolutionary Guards said the ceasefire arrangement gave Iran control over ship traffic in the strait. They warned that any further United States action would draw a wider response.

Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, accused Trump of failing to show commitment to negotiations or the ceasefire.

The United Nations International Maritime Organization halted its ship escort operations through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.

Oil markets had eased before the latest exchange of strikes, with prices falling around 3 per cent on Friday as tankers began moving out of the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway carries about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

Saudi Aramco resumed crude loadings at its Ras Tanura terminal in the Gulf, the world’s largest oil port, after a halt of nearly four months, according to shipping data.

Fertiliser shipments through the strait also resumed, easing concerns over possible pressure on global food prices.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a Gulf tour aimed at reassuring regional allies, issued a joint statement with the Gulf Cooperation Council calling for free and unrestricted navigation through the strait.

Iran’s foreign ministry said the Strait of Hormuz should be governed by Iran and Oman. Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, warned Washington’s Gulf allies that their security depended on Tehran’s restraint.

In a separate development, Israel and Lebanon signed a tentative agreement aimed at ending fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. Both sides described the deal as an initial step involving Hezbollah’s disarmament and an Israeli troop withdrawal from Lebanon, although enforcement remained unclear. Hezbollah said it would not cooperate.