Iran on Saturday accused the United States of violating the peace deal agreed to end the Middle East war, after Washington launched strikes on Iranian territory and Tehran responded with attacks on US targets in the Gulf.
The trading of fire, which came after Washington accused Tehran of attacking a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week, raised questions about efforts to keep the crucial waterway open while both sides negotiate a broader, final deal.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest American strikes, against Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar positions, were a response to “unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces” that “clearly violated the ceasefire”.
But Iran lashed out at the attacks after its Revolutionary Guards launched its own retaliatory strikes.
“These brutal attacks, which targeted Iranian coastal surveillance facilities, are a blatant violation” of the memorandum of understanding to end the war, the Iranian foreign ministry said.
The Guards said they had struck US sites in the Gulf region in retaliation and that “if the aggression is repeated, our response will be broader than this”, according to a Telegram post by state TV.
Bahrain’s foreign ministry said the country was targeted by several Iranian drones early Saturday, condemning the attacks and accusing Tehran of “sabotaging peace efforts”.
