US Strikes Iranian Targets After Shipping Attack Raises Ceasefire Fears

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

WASHINGTON/TEHRAN/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – U.S. forces struck Iranian missile and drone storage facilities overnight after President Donald J. Trump condemned what he called a “foolish” Iranian attack on a commercial cargo ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

The fighting came despite a fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States, which has worked closely with Israel throughout the conflict.

President Trump said Iran had provoked the U.S. response by violating the truce, part of a memorandum of understanding intended to halt fighting while broader negotiations continue over Tehran’s nuclear program and regional security.

The U.S. military said it targeted missile depots, drone storage sites, and coastal radar positions after Iran allegedly launched attack drones at the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel Ever Lovely, damaging the ship but causing no reported casualties.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the U.S. strikes.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps defended the strike, saying the vessel had used an “unauthorized route” through the strategic waterway.

SHIPPING UNDER THREAT

U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, described the operation as “a powerful response,” saying Iran’s actions threatened freedom of navigation through one of the world’s busiest oil and gas shipping routes.

Tehran later accused Washington of violating the interim agreement by launching retaliatory strikes and claimed it had targeted positions linked to U.S. forces.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations separately reported that another tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile in the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel sustained damage to its bridge, but all crew members were reported safe, and no environmental damage was immediately reported.

The renewed violence prompted the International Maritime Organization to pause plans to help evacuate thousands of sailors stranded in the region after the conflict erupted.

CENTCOM said U.S. forces would continue supporting the safe passage of commercial vessels through the strait.

ISRAEL-LEBANON DEAL

Despite the renewed confrontation, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a separate agreement between the United States, Israel, and Lebanon under which Israeli forces will withdraw from two areas of southern Lebanon following U.S.-mediated negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the accord as a “great achievement,” saying it would preserve Israel’s security interests, while the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement denounced the deal as a capitulation by Lebanon.

Vice President JD Vance urged Iran to resolve disputes through negotiations, warning that “violence will be met with violence” if attacks continue.

Yet the latest exchanges have cast fresh doubt on the durability of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Iran.

Despite the clashes, Washington and Tehran continued difficult negotiations over sanctions relief, maritime security, and the future of Iran’s nuclear program.

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