Iran has accused the US of violating the ceasefire by targeting two ships at the strait of Hormuz and attacking civilian areas, as the US insists it struck in retaliation.
The US military said it targeted sites that it said were responsible for attacking US forces in what it called “unprovoked” hostilities by Tehran.
The new skirmishes threw into question the viability of a shaky ceasefire that had largely held for the previous month.
US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement on Thursday evening: “Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats as USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87) transited the international sea passage. No US assets were struck.”
Centcom said its forces eliminated “inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities” responsible for attacking US forces, including missile and drone launch sites, command and control locations, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes.
“Centcom does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces,” it added.
Iran’s military accused the US of breaking the ceasefire agreement by targeting an Iranian oil tanker and another ship entering the strait of Hormuz.
“The aggressive, terrorist, and pirate US military has violated the ceasefire,” a military spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added the US carried out airstrikes on “civilian areas” along the “coasts of Bandar Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island” and that the strikes were launched “with the cooperation of some regional countries”.
They said Iran’s armed forces responded by attacking US military vessels, “reportedly inflicting significant damage on them”.
Last month, the US and Iran agreed to a two-week conditional ceasefire which included a temporary reopening of the strait of Hormuz after a last-minute diplomatic intervention led by Pakistan.
