The United States carried out military strikes against Iranian targets on June 26 in response to an Iranian drone attack on a commercial cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions between the two countries just days after a ceasefire agreement was reached. The U.S. Central Command reported that airstrikes targeted missile and drone storage facilities as well as coastal radar sites in southern Iran, near the port city of Sirik. A U.S. official confirmed that the operation had concluded.
Iran acknowledged that a projectile struck the area near the Sirik pier and stated that its naval forces retaliated by targeting U.S. military sites in the region. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that any further U.S. military actions would provoke a broader Iranian response. Iranian state media quoted an unnamed military source saying warning shots and missiles were fired toward vessels allegedly violating Strait of Hormuz regulations several hours before the strikes. The IRGC emphasized that the ceasefire agreement granted Iran control over ship movements in the strategic waterway, asserting that the United States had sought to violate that commitment through provocations.
Vice President JD Vance, a key U.S. official on the conflict, stated that the United States has upheld the terms of the ceasefire, also known as a memorandum of understanding (MOU), and cautioned that violence from Iran would be met with force. Vance underscored that any disputes regarding the ceasefire should be resolved diplomatically. However, Iranian parliamentary security chief Ebrahim Azizi criticized the U.S. response, accusing President Donald Trump of lacking commitment to negotiation principles and the ceasefire.
The attack on the cargo ship near Oman’s coast on June 25 was blamed on Iran by President Trump and U.S. officials, who said it violated the ceasefire agreement established the previous week. In response to the ongoing insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. military officials reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring safe passage for commercial vessels transiting the waterway.
The situation remains complex as Iran insists the strait’s governance should be shared by Iran and Oman, rejecting calls for unfettered navigation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, concluding a diplomatic tour in the Gulf, jointly called with the Gulf Cooperation Council for free and unrestricted navigation without tolls or control attempts. Iran’s top adviser to the supreme leader, Ali Akbar Velayati, warned Washington’s Gulf allies that their survival depended on Tehran’s tolerance.
Meanwhile, in a related development, Israel and Lebanon reached an agreement aimed at ending hostilities involving Iran-backed Hezbollah. The preliminary deal envisions Hezbollah’s disarmament and Israeli troop withdrawal from Lebanon, although enforcement mechanisms remain unclear, and Hezbollah has rejected cooperation. This backdrop of tentative regional progress contrasts sharply with the deteriorating U.S.-Iran dynamics over the Strait of Hormuz.