The US and Iran exchanged blows despite the declared ceasefire
The US has stated that it has carried out strikes on military targets in Iran in response to ‘unprovoked Iranian attacks’. The exchange of fire took place against the backdrop of a ceasefire that has been in place for around a month, and negotiations regarding the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the US blockade of Iranian ports, reports the NY Times.
US Central Command reported that Iranian missiles, drones and small vessels attacked three American destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the US side, US forces “neutralised the approaching threats”.
In response, US forces, according to CENTCOM, attacked Iranian military sites allegedly used to strike US forces. These included missile and drone launch sites, command centres, and intelligence and surveillance facilities.
The Iranian military accused the US of violating the ceasefire. Tehran stated that the day before, US forces had fired on an Iranian oil tanker heading for the Strait of Hormuz. Following this, according to the Iranian side, an attack was carried out on US military ships in the region.
US President Donald Trump told journalists on the evening of 8 May that the ceasefire with Iran remained in force despite the exchange of fire.
In a social media post, Trump confirmed that the US and Iran had exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz. According to him, three ‘world-class’ American destroyers left the strait ‘under fire’ but were not damaged.
Trump also stated that US forces had ‘easily shot down’ the missiles fired at US ships, and that the drones had been ‘burned up in the air’.
“They fell so beautifully into the ocean, like a butterfly falling into its grave,” Trump wrote.
Furthermore, the US president called Iran’s leadership “crazy” and threatened further strikes if Tehran did not “sign a deal quickly”.
Amid the escalation, explosions were heard on the Iranian island of Qeshm, in the city of Bandar Abbas and in Tehran. The Iranian military stated that the US and “the countries that support it” were responsible for the strikes.
A representative of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated on social media that “the US has violated the ceasefire”.
Earlier, three Iranian officials reported that Washington and Tehran were discussing a one-page proposal. It provides for the lifting of the US blockade of Iranian ships and ports, the opening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, and a 30-day ceasefire to allow for negotiations on a broader peace agreement.
According to the sources, the main obstacle remains the issue of Iran’s uranium enrichment programme and its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.
The conflict, now in its third month, has significantly disrupted global supply chains and caused energy prices to rise due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
