In briefThe US has attacked Iran on Friday in response to an Iranian drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.The move has strained the peace deal struck between the two countries last week.The United States has attacked Iran on Friday in response to an Iranian drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, further straining the fragile peace deal struck last week.US Central Command said aircraft struck missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites. CNN, citing an unnamed US official, reported the US operation had concluded. Iranian media said a projectile struck the area around a pier in Sirik in southern Iran.Elsewhere there were signs of progress, however, as Israel and Lebanon signed an agreement to end the fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. Both sides framed the deal as an initial step that calls for Hezbollah to disarm and Israel to withdraw troops from Lebanon, but it was not clear how it would be enforced. Hezbollah said it would not cooperate.Iran warns Gulf statesNews that makes senseYour trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.Iran has said it would control the Strait of Hormuz and warned Gulf states not to side with the US after Thursday's attack on a cargo ship travelling near Oman's coast. US President Donald Trump blamed the attack on Iran and said it violated last week's agreement."The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire," US Central Command said in its statement announcing the strikes, which it called "a powerful response to yesterday’s attack on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz". The US military said it would continue to provide "safe passage coordination and support" to commercial vessels transiting the strait.Iranian state media, citing an unnamed military source, reported the strike at the port of Sirik after an explosion was heard there. The source said several warning shots had been fired from Sirik toward vessels that violated Strait of Hormuz regulations about five hours earlier, adding that two warning missiles had also been launched from the nearby Karpan area toward the strategic waterway.Iran had previously expressed anger at what it said was an "interventionist, irresponsible and provocative" statement by the US and six Gulf states that rejected its assertion that it could charge tolls on vessels transiting the strait."Safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz cannot be guaranteed under ambiguous arrangements, parallel routes or decision-making that does not take Iran's role as a coastal state into account," Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on X.Bloomberg News said Oman, which lies on the opposite side of the strait from Iran, had told allies ships going through Hormuz may have to pay. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.Iranian state TV said three foreign tankers attempting what it called an "unauthorised passage" of the strait were turned back after a warning from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It gave no further details.Oil prices fallBefore the renewed outbreak of violence, oil prices dropped by about 3% on Friday, on course for steep weekly losses, in response to oil tankers exiting the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies typically pass.Saudi Aramco resumed crude loadings at its Ras Tanura terminal in the Gulf, the world's biggest oil port, after a nearly four-month halt, shipping data showed.Fertilizer shipments through the strait have also picked up, helping to assuage concerns about a spike in global food prices.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio - wrapping up a tour of the Gulf to reassure regional allies about the interim pact - issued a joint statement with the Gulf Cooperation Council calling for "free, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation" in the strait without tolls or "attempts to assert control".Iran's foreign ministry said the strait should be governed by Iran and Oman, while Ali Akbar Velayati, top adviser to Iran's supreme leader, warned the US's Gulf allies their survival depended on Iran's tolerance.For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.
US strikes Iran in response to cargo ship attack in the Strait of Hormuz, straining peace deal
Iran has also warned Gulf states not to side with the US as friction starts up again.










