The United States launched strikes against Iran on Friday in response to drone attacks on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz, which President Donald Trump called a “foolish violation” of the recently signed ceasefire agreement.
A US aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations as well as coastal radar sites, U.S. Central Command said in a news release.
The strikes came after Iran allegedly shot at least four drones at ships traveling through the Strait on Thursday. One of those hit the upper deck of the M/V Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged cargo ship exiting the strait along the Omani coast. The US military knocked down the three other drones, Trump said on Truth Social.
“The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire,” Central Command said. “Furthermore, Iran’s dangerous behavior undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor.”
The Ceasefire Agreement
The memorandum of understanding was signed just last week. It stipulates that the Strait of Hormuz — a vital waterway through which some 20% of the world’s oil passed before the war — will reopen and that Iran agrees to allow safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days.
However, Iran has been warning ships to travel along Tehran-approved routes close to the Iranian coastline. Some vessels are instead traversing along a route that hugs the coastline of the United Arab Emirates and bends along Oman’s Musandam Peninsula. The International Maritime Organization had coordinated the alternative route, but the vessel struck Thursday did not transit under that framework.
Reactions and Threats
An Iranian parliament official characterized the US strike as another military action conducted as negotiations were ongoing and a violation of the ceasefire. “The U.S. attacked Iran in the middle of negotiations once again,” Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission of the parliament, said on X. “The failed U.S. President has shown he has no commitment to the principles of negotiation or a ceasefire.”
Vice President JD Vance, who has been tapped to play a lead role in the negotiations, said Friday on X that the US was responding to Iranian military action. “Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honored it. If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone,” Vance wrote. “But violence will be met with violence.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Friday that in response to U.S. strikes, its navy struck American positions in the region. It did not name them and it was not immediately clear if any were struck.
The Impact
The M/V Ever Lovely sustained damage to its bridge windows, but no injuries were reported and the cargo onboard was safe, its owner company, Evergreen Marine, said in a statement. “The main engine and all navigation equipment continued to operate,” and its seaworthiness was not impacted as it departed the Strait of Hormuz.
Asked whether Iran could face any consequences after allegedly violating the ceasefire, Trump told reporters at the White House earlier on Friday afternoon, “You’ll find out.”
“I don’t like the fact that they took a shot yesterday,” the president added. “They shouldn’t be doing that. So, you’ll find out.”
The Bottom Line
The US has launched strikes against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian drones attacked a Singapore-flagged cargo ship. President Trump called the attack a “foolish violation” of the recent ceasefire agreement. The strikes hit Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has threatened further military action in response. The ship sustained damage but no injuries were reported.
