US strikes Iranian military sites after drone hits cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz
The United States has released footage of its military strikes on Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar positions, carried out on Friday in response to a drone attack by Tehran on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement from US Central Command (CENTCOM).
The strikes occurred amid a ceasefire agreement between the two nations, which has been under strain since it took effect on April 8. The ceasefire, signed on June 17 by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, includes a 14-point agreement for an immediate cessation of military operations and a commitment to pursue a final settlement within 60 days. Both sides completed their first round of negotiations in Switzerland on Monday.
According to CENTCOM, the US aircraft targeted Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites on Friday, a day after Iran's attack on the M/V Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged cargo ship. The drone strike on the vessel occurred on June 25 as it exited the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast, striking the upper deck. Three other drones were shot down, the US said.
Iranian state television, citing a reporter in Sirik, reported an explosion at Taherouyeh pier in the southern port city late Friday. A military source quoted by the broadcaster said the blast was caused by a projectile impact in the area. CENTCOM did not specify the precise location of its strikes.
Washington described its action as a “powerful response” to what it called unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping, which it said “clearly violated the ceasefire.” CENTCOM added that Iran's behaviour undermined freedom of navigation in a vital international trade corridor, through which about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies typically pass.
US Vice President JD Vance issued a direct warning to Tehran on social media, stating, “Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honoured it. If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence.”
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by announcing retaliatory attacks on American sites in the Gulf region. “If the aggression is repeated, our response will be broader than this,” the Guards said in a statement carried by Iranian state television on Telegram.
The exchange of strikes raises fresh questions about the durability of the ceasefire, which has been punctuated by sporadic violence since its inception, including attacks on commercial shipping and US military responses.
