Ceasefire at risk? US airstrikes hit Iran after drone attack on cargo ship, Iran retaliates

A fragile, week-old ceasefire between the United States and Iran is on the verge of collapse after a rapid succession of military strikes in the Strait of Hormuz. The military escalation began Thursday when an Iranian one-way attack drone struck the M/V Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged commercial cargo vessel transiting near the Omani coast.

In response, US Central Command (CENTCOM) launched localized precision airstrikes on Friday against Iranian coastal radar installations and missile and drone storage facilities, including positions near the southern port of Sirik and Qeshm Island. Hours later, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) retaliated, announcing it had targeted regional installations housing U.S. military personnel. 

The direct exchange of fire marks the first significant violation of the June 17 memorandum of understanding (MoU), an interim agreement designed to pause nearly four months of conflict and safely reopen the vital global shipping corridor. 

"The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire," U.S. Central Command said in a statement summarizing the response. "Furthermore, Iran's dangerous behavior undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor. CENTCOM forces continue to provide safe passage coordination and support to commercial vessels transiting the strait. The U.S. military remains present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect."  

US President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House shortly before the American counter-strike concluded, called the drone attack on the commercial vessel a foolish violation of the truce. 

"I don't like the fact that they took a shot yesterday, actually four of them," Trump said. "One of the Drones solidly hit the upper deck of a large and very expensive Cargo Carrying Ship." 

US Vice President JD Vance emphasized the administration's stance on social media following the operation. "Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honored it. If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence," Vance wrote. 

According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations center, the initial strike on the M/V Ever Lovely damaged the vessel's bridge structure on the starboard side, though no crew members were injured. 

While Iranian port officials reported no structural damage to the civilian facilities at the port of Sirik following the U.S. response, Tehran defended its subsequent actions against American positions as a lawful response to a violation of its sovereignty. 

The IRGC statement carried by state media asserted that the June 17 agreement granted Iran regulatory authority over transit through the strategic waterway. 

"However, the United States, by provoking various fronts, sought to violate this commitment, and the necessary response was given and will continue to be given," the IRGC stated, adding a warning: "In the event of repeated aggression, our response will be more extensive than this." 

A spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry stated that the US airstrikes violated the UN Charter and the war-ending memorandum, while confirming they had targeted assets linked to US forces in the region. The exact locations and the extent of damage from the Iranian retaliatory strikes have not been independently confirmed by US defense officials. 

In the immediate wake of the trade of fire, the United Nations' International Maritime Organization announced a temporary pause on efforts to evacuate hundreds of commercial ships previously stranded in the Persian Gulf.