US launches fresh strikes on Iran as ceasefire frays
The United States and Iran traded fresh military strikes over the weekend, with both sides accusing each other of breaching the ceasefire agreement reached after months of conflict. The latest escalation followed a drone attack on a commercial tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, which Washington blamed on Iran.
US Central Command said it responded by striking 10 Iranian military targets, including air defence systems, drone storage facilities, communications infrastructure and military equipment near the strategic waterway. The Pentagon said Tehran had failed to honour the ceasefire after its forces targeted the Panama flagged tanker MT Kiku.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rejected the accusation, insisting the US had attacked Iranian coastal positions first. In retaliation, it claimed to have launched ballistic missiles and drones against US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain, including Ali al Salem Air Base and the Fifth Fleet headquarters. The exchange has raised fresh concerns about the durability of the ceasefire and the security of one of the world’s busiest energy shipping routes.
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