A cycle of retaliatory attacks has erupted between the United States and Iran in recent hours, with both countries exchanging fire in the Strait of Hormuz and targeting military positions in the region.
The confrontation marks the first such incident since the signing of a memorandum of understanding last week aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and launching more substantive negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme. The latest escalation began on Thursday with a drone attack against a commercial vessel transiting the strategic waterway.
Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire agreement and have threatened stronger, unprecedented retaliatory strikes.
IRGC: Washington “once again violated its commitments”
Iranian news agencies Tasnim and IRNA published a statement early on Saturday from the public relations office of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), saying its naval forces had targeted locations in areas where US forces are deployed, without specifying the exact sites.
The IRGC condemned the US strikes on Iran, saying Washington had “once again violated its commitments and launched an air raid” on Iranian coastal areas.
“Under Article 5 of the Memorandum of Cooperation, there are agreements governing traffic control in the Strait of Hormuz with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the statement said.
“However, the United States sought to violate this commitment and received the necessary response. If the aggression is repeated, our response will be more extensive.”
Iran warns of an “immediate and decisive” response
Shortly before the Iranian strikes against American military targets, the Revolutionary Guards said their response to the US attacks would be “immediate and decisive”, according to Iranian state television.
They also claimed to have repelled an attack by US armed forces against the Sirik region, located on the Strait of Hormuz.
“Our response this time will be unprecedented,” warned Ibrahim al-Fiqar, an Iranian military official and spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the command centre coordinating Iran’s regular armed forces and the IRGC.
US strikes Iranian targets in Hormuz
Earlier, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a post on X that American forces had conducted strikes against Iran on 26 June in response to Iran’s attack on a commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
According to CENTCOM, US aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage facilities as well as coastal radar stations following the Iranian drone attack on the M/V Ever Lovely on 25 June.
“The unprovoked aggression by Iranian forces against commercial shipping clearly violated the ceasefire. Moreover, Iran’s dangerous behaviour undermines freedom of navigation as commercial traffic increases through this vital international trade corridor,” CENTCOM said.
The statement added that US forces continue to coordinate the safe passage and support of commercial vessels transiting the Strait and remain ready to ensure that all aspects of the agreement with Iran are respected and enforced.
Vance: “Violence will be met with violence”
US Vice President JD Vance said that “violence will be met with violence” following the American strikes on Iran.
“Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honoured it. If they have disagreements over the implementation of the memorandum of understanding, they can pick up the phone,” Vance wrote on X. “But violence will be met with violence,” he added.
Trump: “They should not have done that”
Minutes before the US strikes, President Donald Trump suggested that Washington could respond to Iran’s recent attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
“If I react, you’ll know about it,” Trump said when asked by reporters whether he considered the incident a violation of the ceasefire and whether he intended to respond.
The US president added that he “didn’t like the fact that they carried out an attack” and that “they should not have done that”.
Trump accuses Iran of violating the ceasefire
Earlier, Trump accused Iran of breaching the ceasefire agreement by launching at least four suicide drones against vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the US president, one of the drones struck the deck of a cargo ship while American forces shot down the remaining three.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran launched at least four suicide drones against ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. One of the drones struck the upper deck of a large and very expensive cargo ship. Damage was sustained, but the vessel was able to continue its voyage. We shot down the other three drones. Clearly, this is a foolish violation of our ceasefire agreement,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Taiwanese shipping company Evergreen Marine said on Friday that its Singapore-flagged vessel Ever Lovely had been struck on Thursday near the coast of Oman by an “unknown object” while following a route recommended by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
No crew members were injured and the vessel later continued its journey, exiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Two US officials told Reuters that the ship had come under Iranian fire. Meanwhile, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, established by Tehran to manage transit requests through the Strait, warned that the use of unauthorised routes is undertaken “at the responsibility of the shipowner, operator and captain”.
Source: skai.gr, Reuters, ANA-MPA
Also read: Trump: Democrats are “atheist communists” and a “cancer” spreading across America
