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The United States launched military strikes on Iranian targets on Friday after blaming Tehran for a drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, raising fresh concerns over the future of the interim peace deal reached between both countries last week.
The U.S. Central Command said the operation targeted missile and drone storage sites as well as coastal radar facilities. Iranian media reported that a projectile struck an area near a pier in the southern port city of Sirik.
The strikes followed Thursday’s attack on a commercial vessel near Oman’s coast, which President Donald Trump said violated the recent agreement with Iran. At the same time, Israel and Lebanon signed a preliminary U.S.-brokered deal aimed at ending hostilities involving Hezbollah, although the group said it would not cooperate.
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Iran insisted it retains authority over the Strait of Hormuz and warned Gulf states against supporting Washington. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said, “Safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz cannot be guaranteed under ambiguous arrangements, parallel routes or decision-making that does not take Iran’s role as a coastal state into account.”
Despite the renewed tensions, oil prices fell about three per cent on Friday, while Saudi Aramco resumed crude exports from its Ras Tanura terminal after nearly four months. The United States and Gulf Cooperation Council also renewed calls for “free, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation” through the strategic waterway, which handles about one-fifth of global oil and LNG shipments.
