Iran said it launched strikes against targets linked to US forces on Saturday, calling them a response to American airstrikes on coastal surveillance facilities near the southern port of Sirik. The latest exchange has reignited tensions despite last week’s interim ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington.
According to Reuters, both sides accused each other of breaching the truce, raising fresh concerns over security in the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy corridor.
Here are five key developments:
1. Iran Says It Responded To US Airstrikes
Iran’s foreign ministry said its defensive strikes were carried out in response to what it described as barbaric air strikes by the US on its southern coastal facilities, adding that the attacks violated the UN Charter.
Iranian state television said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had delivered a decisive response after US forces struck a communications tower in the port city of Sirik. State-run Mehr News Agency reported that port operations continued normally and no damage was reported to facilities or equipment.
ALSO READ: ‘Violence Will Be Met With Violence’: JD Vance’s Warning As US Strikes Iran Again
2. US-Iran Trade Blame Over Ceasefire Violations
The US military said Friday’s strikes were launched after an Iranian drone attack on a cargo ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Vice President JD Vance said Washington had honoured the interim ceasefire agreement.
“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. But violence will be met with violence,” Vance wrote on X.
3. Bahrain Alleges Iranian Drone Attack
Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, condemned what it described as an Iranian drone strike on its territory, calling it a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and security. The Gulf nation said it reserved the right to defend itself and accused Tehran of undermining regional peace despite ongoing de-escalation efforts.
4. Strait Of Hormuz Back In Focus
Tehran reiterated its authority over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, warning vessels to comply with routes designated by Iran and cautioning Gulf states against supporting Washington.
Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s parliamentary national security committee, said any violation of Iran’s shipping instructions would be met decisively.
ALSO READ: Hormuz Tensions Escalate: UKMTO Flags Strike On Ship After Fresh US-Iran Skirmish
The US Central Command condemned Iran’s reported strike on commercial shipping as unwarranted aggression and said it would continue providing safe passage support for vessels transiting the waterway, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and LNG supplies move. Separately, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Gulf Cooperation Council called for free, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation in the strategic waterway.
5. Markets Watch Shipping Recovery Despite Rising Tensions
Even as military tensions resurfaced, signs of normalisation emerged in regional energy flows. Oil prices fell around 3% on Friday as more tankers resumed using the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Aramco restarted crude loadings at its Ras Tanura terminal after a nearly four-month pause, while fertilizer shipments through the strait also picked up, easing concerns over disruptions to global energy and food supplies.
Essential Business Intelligence,
Sharp Market Insights,
Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
Source link
[ad_3]
