Us Strikes Iran Mv Ever Lovely Strait Hormuz Ceasefire June 2026
Indian Express
The United States has released a video of its strikes on Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar positions on Friday.
The attack came after Tehran launched a drone against a Singapore-flagged cargo ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command said.
Notably, a ceasefire remains in place between the two as they negotiate a permanent binding deal to end the war in West Asia.
US aircraft carried out the strikes in response to Iran’s attack on the M/V Ever Lovely on June 25, in which a one-way attack drone hit the upper deck of the vessel as it exited the strait along the Omani coast, CENTCOM said in a statement from Tampa, Florida.
Iran struck the M/V Ever Lovely with a drone on June 25 as the cargo ship passed through the Strait of Hormuz one of the world’s most critical waterways, through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies typically flows.
US aircraft responded next day, targeting Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites. CENTCOM did not specify the precise location of the strikes.
Iranian state television, citing a reporter in Sirik, said an explosion was heard late Friday at Taherouyeh pier in the southern port city, and quoted a military source saying the blast was caused by a projectile impact in the area.
CENTCOM called the strikes a “powerful response” to what it described as unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping that “clearly violated the ceasefire.”
“Iran’s dangerous behaviour undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor,” the command said.
US President Donald Trump called the Iranian drone attack a “foolish” violation of the ceasefire agreement, saying one drone struck the upper deck of the vessel while three others were shot down.
US Vice President JD Vance issued a direct warning to Tehran. “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,” he posted on X.
Shortly after the US strikes, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had carried out retaliatory attacks on American sites in the Gulf region.
A ceasefire between the US and Iran took effect on April 8, but sporadic violence has continued on both sides since then, including attacks on commercial shipping and US military responses.
Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a 14-point agreement on June 17 providing for an immediate cessation of military operations, including in Lebanon, with both countries committing to pursue a final settlement within 60 days. The two sides completed their first round of negotiations in Switzerland on Monday.
Friday’s exchange raises fresh questions about whether the agreement can hold, with both governments now trading strikes and warnings within weeks of signing the deal.
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