Back to War? U.S. Strikes Iranian Missile Positions After Tehran Attacks Cargo Ship

The U.S. Iran 60-day truce appears to be straining as American warplanes struck Iranian coastal radar, missile and drone storage locations on the night of June 26, in response to Iran attacking a Singapore-flagged cargo carrier that was exiting the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier.

A CentCom statement said:

U.S. aircraft conducted strikes against Iran June 26 as a powerful response to yesterday’s attack on a commercial ship that was transitioning the Strait of Hormuz. Iran hit M/V Ever Lovely on June 25 with a one-way attack drone. The vessel was exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast at the time of the attack.

The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping clearly violates the ceasefire. Furthermore, Iran’s dangerous behaviour undermines freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor.

Iran’s stand:

Kazem Qaribabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, wrote on X that safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz “cannot be guaranteed under ambiguous arrangements, parallel routes, or decision-making processes that disregard Iran’s considerations as the coastal state.”

Qaribabadi stressed that any credible framework must be based on coordination with Iran and the provisions of Article 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. Otherwise, he warned, the designated parallel route would be suspended.

Following Iran’s warning and an attack on a vessel deemed to have violated the established framework, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) suspended its operation to evacuate stranded ships in recent months. Nevertheless, maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained active in both directions on Friday.