The United States has launched another round of strikes on Iran after a second attack on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz, raising fresh concerns that the fragile ceasefire between the two countries is beginning to fall apart.
The latest action came after a Panama-flagged oil tanker, MT Kiku, was hit by a one-way attack drone on Saturday. The US blamed Iran for the attack and said it responded by striking several military sites across the country. The fresh strikes came just hours after an earlier round of US attacks on Iranian targets. Iran later responded by targeting several US-linked sites, describing its actions as “self-defence,” while Washington said Tehran’s attacks amounted to a violation of the ceasefire.
US says Iran ignored ceasefire
In a statement, US Central Command (Centcom) said the strikes were carried out because Iran had continued attacking commercial ships despite agreeing to a ceasefire. “Iran was given a chance to honour the ceasefire agreement but elected not to when its forces launched a one-way attack drone that hit MT Kiku,” Centcom said.
The US military said it struck multiple targets across Iran, including military equipment, communication systems, air defence sites and drone storage facilities. Centcom also said that commercial ships are still moving through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has not yet responded to the latest US strikes.
Later, a US defence official told Fox News that the military operation against Iranian targets had been completed. Meanwhile, Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported that explosions were heard in the southern city of Sirik early Sunday morning, but did not provide any details about what caused them.
Trump issues a fresh warning
Trump confirmed the latest strikes in a Truth Social post on Saturday night and warned that the US could take even stronger military action if Iran does not stop. “There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started,” Trump wrote.
He added, “If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Britain’s UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the tanker attacked on Saturday suffered damage to its bridge. However, all crew members on board were reported safe.
Following the recent attacks, the Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational naval group that monitors shipping security, raised its threat level for vessels operating in the region.
Iran has not directly commented on reports of the attacks on commercial ships. However, Iranian state television said the Revolutionary Guards fired “warning shots” at vessels that were trying to use sea channels not approved by Iran. According to the report, many ships are now seeking permission from Iranian authorities before crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
Second US retaliation in less than a day
This was the second US military response in less than 24 hours. A day earlier, the US had carried out strikes on Iran after a Singapore-flagged cargo ship, MV Ever Lovely, was attacked by a drone on June 25.
Calling the operation “a powerful response,” Centcom said the drone attack on the cargo ship was an “unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces” and “clearly violated the ceasefire.”
Iran, however, rejected the US accusation. Tehran said the cargo ship had been travelling through the Gulf using an unauthorised route and claimed that the American retaliation itself was a violation of the ceasefire.
Iran blames the US
In a statement released on Saturday morning, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it had carried out more strikes against targets linked to American forces in response to the US attacks. The ministry blamed the “treaty-breaking US regime” for the latest escalation.
Later, Ebrahim Azizi, a prominent Iranian conservative politician, responded to Trump’s claims that Iran had committed a “foolish violation” of the ceasefire, saying: “The reality in the Persian Gulf has changed. The Strait of Hormuz is governed by Iran, so: Respect the rules. Use secure routes. Do not mistake control for escalation. If you do not learn the rules, the Iranian armed forces will teach them to you. This is not a violation of the ceasefire; it is ceasefire management.”
The back and forth comes just days after the US and Iran had agreed on June 17 to end hostilities through a 14-point memorandum of understanding. One of the key promises in the agreement was that Iran would use its “best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days.”
After US and Israeli strikes on Iran at the end of February, Tehran had effectively closed the narrow waterway. The move disrupted global trade, pushed oil prices sharply higher and also delayed shipments of other important goods, including fertiliser.
Although ships are now moving through the strait again, the latest attacks have renewed fears about the safety of one of the world’s busiest energy routes.