Bahrain said that Iran launched a drone attack against the Gulf country and a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, after the United States carried out retaliatory attacks targeting Tehran for violating a 60-day ceasefire. The development signals further challenges for the memorandum of understanding that Washington and Tehran signed last week. The interim agreement was initially tested on Thursday, when Iran first fired on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz, marking a violation of the ceasefire and triggering retaliatory strikes from the U.S. the following day.
Bahrain, a Gulf state that works closely with Washington, revealed it was hit by a “number of Iranian drones” that marked “a flagrant threat to the security of citizens.” In a second incident near Iran, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said a tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, though the crew is safe.
“The master of tanker has reported being struck by an unidentified projectile. The vessel sustained damage to their bridge,” the British military announced. Following the attacks on Bahrain, Iran’s military issued a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency saying it had targeted several unnamed locations “of the U.S. terrorist army” in the Persian Gulf.On Saturday, Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, accused Tehran of “destabilizing security, exporting chaos and undermining regional stability.” The kingdom called the attacks “a blatant breach of international norms and conventions that prohibit targeting civilian objects and terrorizing innocent people.” TRUMP SAYS IRAN VIOLATED CEASEFIRE WITH DRONE ATTACKS ON CARGO SHIPS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZWashington appears to be hoping the exchange of fire will not trigger an end to the ceasefire. A U.S. official played down the prospect of escalation following the strikes, telling CNN they do not reflect a return to major combat operations, at least for now.
