ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iranian military on Friday accused the United States of “violating the ceasefire” by targeting two vessels near the Strait of Hormuz and striking “civilian areas” in the southern Hormozgan province. The statement came as the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces intercepted “unprovoked Iranian attacks” near Hormuz, while President Donald Trump warned that a stronger response would follow if a deal is not reached “fast!”
“The US military violated the ceasefire by targeting an Iranian oil tanker near Jask heading toward the Strait of Hormuz, as well as another vessel entering the Strait near the Emirati port of Fujairah,” Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) cited Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, as saying.
“At the same time, civilian areas along the coasts of Bandar Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island [in Hormozgan] were subjected to airstrikes with the cooperation of some regional countries,” the official said, adding that Iranian forces “responded by attacking US military vessels” near Hormuz and inflicted “significant damage” on them.
“The United States and its supporting countries should know that the Islamic Republic of Iran, as in the past, will respond forcefully and without hesitation to any act of aggression or violation,” Zolfaghari added.
Hours earlier, CENTCOM said US forces “intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes” after an assault targeted US Navy destroyers transiting the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, rejecting Iranian claims of damage.
“Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones, and small boats” at the USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta, and USS Mason, the Command detailed, affirming that “no U.S. assets were struck.”
US forces “eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces, including missile and drone launch sites, command and control locations, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance nodes,” CENTCOM added, without specifying the exact locations of those sites.
Meanwhile, Fox News cited a “senior US official” as saying the American military carried out strikes on Iran’s Qeshm port and Bandar Abbas on Thursday, while stressing that the attacks did not signal a restart of the war or the end to the truce between the two sides.
Importantly, the escalation came as Iran said it was still reviewing a US proposal aimed at ending the war.
The US and Israel launched a wide scale aerial campaign against Iran on February 28, striking more than 17,000 sites across the country over six weeks of hostilities before the sides agreed to a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire on April 8. The truce halted fighting for two weeks and paved the way for negotiations.
While the first round of talks concluded without a final agreement on April 11, a second round has yet to take place, with a comprehensive resolution to the conflict still pending.
In parallel with the diplomatic efforts, Iran and the US have engaged in tit-for-tat maritime measures. Tehran has tightened its grip on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington initiated a maritime blockade on Iranian ports on April 13.
Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday that “the US plan and proposal [to end the escalation between the two sides] are still under review by Iran,” according to the state-affiliated Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA).
Esmaeil Baghaei added that Tehran will convey its position to the Pakistani side once the assessment process is complete.
US President Trump on Friday slammed the Iranian attacks on his country’s destroyers the previous day warning, “Just like we knocked them out again today, we’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don’t get their Deal signed, FAST!”