WASHINGTON: The US struck Iran on Friday (Jun 26) in response to a drone attack a day earlier on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. It is the most significant test yet of an interim understanding reached a week ago by the two countries to begin working to end their months-long war and reopen the pivotal waterway.US President Donald Trump said the drone attack violated the ceasefire. The strikes came shortly after Trump told reporters, “You’ll find out,” whether the US would respond.US Central Command said the military struck missile and drone locations and coastal radar sites in Iran.“I don’t like the fact that they took a shot yesterday, actually four of them,” Trump said at the White House shortly before the US struck back. When asked why there would be strikes when Trump has insisted talks with Tehran are going well, Trump said of Iran: “They’re a little bit different.”
He then abruptly cut off questions and reporters were ushered out of his office.Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, responded to Trump on social media earlier Friday, saying, “the Strait of Hormuz is governed by Iran, so: Respect the rules” and to “not mistake control for escalation”.“This is not a violation of the ceasefire; it is ceasefire management,” Azizi wrote.The strikes on Iran are still ongoing even as US Central Command released a statement confirming the action, a US official with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss an ongoing military operation.The British military said on Thursday that a container ship was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman, coming hours after Iran threatened vessels to stop using the route. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said no injuries were reported.The Singapore-registered cargo ship is operated by Taiwan shipping firm Evergreen Marine Corp.The development came during a fragile time for the US and Iran as they work to negotiate a permanent end to the war. Iran has increasingly challenged the region and the US over its control of the Strait of Hormuz, even with the current interim deal it reached with the US last week.The attack on the cargo ship happened while a United Nations maritime agency was beginning an operation to move stranded ships out of the strait this week, using an alternative route, hugging the shores of Oman rather than sailing through the central part of the strait.The International Maritime Organization halted the evacuations after the attack and said on Friday that they will not resume until there are guarantees that the other ships won’t be attacked.About 115 ships were able to move out of the strait in recent days, leaving about 500 still in the area, said Arsenio Dominguez, the agency’s secretary-general.The opening of the alternative passage through the strait was expected to relieve pressure on the world economy and remove Iran’s main source of leverage in ongoing peace talks with the US.The US and Iran are still negotiating the terms of the deal, including issues such as getting ships through the key strait and addressing the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Under the interim deal, the two sides have 60 days to work out the details.
