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LAST UPDATE | 50 mins ago
THE UNITED STATES has accused Iran of launching “unprovoked” attacks on American naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, after Tehran earlier claimed Washington had violated the ceasefire in the Middle East war by striking Iranian-linked ships.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces intercepted Iranian missiles, drones and small boats during a naval transit operation through the strategic waterway today.
In a statement, CENTCOM said US Navy guided-missile destroyers USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta and USS Mason were travelling through the Strait of Hormuz towards the Gulf of Oman when they came under attack.
“Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats” during the transit, the statement said, adding that “no US assets were struck”.
CENTCOM said US forces responded with “self-defence strikes”, targeting Iranian military facilities allegedly involved in the attacks, including missile and drone launch sites, command centres and intelligence infrastructure.
“CENTCOM does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces,” the statement added.
Earlier, Iran’s central military command, Khatam Al Anbiya, accused the United States of violating the ceasefire by attacking vessels near the Strait of Hormuz and carrying out strikes in southern Iran.
Iran claimed the US had “targeted an Iranian oil tanker moving from the coastal waters of Iran in the Jask region towards the Strait of Hormuz, as well as another ship entering the Strait of Hormuz opposite the port of Fujairah, UAE”.
In a statement carried by Iranian state television, Tehran also accused Washington of carrying out strikes “in cooperation with some countries in the region”.
It said Iranian forces had “immediately and in retaliation attacked American military vessels”.
The fresh escalation came as the United States and its Gulf allies pressed the UN Security Council to demand that Iran end its blockade of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The blockade has disrupted global energy and shipping markets since war broke out on 28 February following US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
A draft resolution put forward by the US and Bahrain calls on Iran to halt attacks and threats against commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The proposal also demands that Tehran stop charging tolls on vessels, disclose the locations of any naval mines and allow the creation of a humanitarian shipping corridor for fertiliser supplies amid fears of global food shortages.
However, diplomatic sources said Russia has warned it may veto the resolution.
US ambassador Mike Waltz said freedom of navigation was essential for global stability.
“We believe in some basic fundamental principles, namely the freedom of navigation for the entire world’s economies,” he said alongside representatives from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait.
“That’s what’s at stake here, nothing less than a cornerstone of worldwide stability and commerce.”
Iran’s UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani condemned the draft as a “flawed, politically motivated” proposal that would legitimise “unlawful actions” by Washington.
Meanwhile, the head of the UN’s International Maritime Organization said around 1,500 ships and 20,000 crew members remain trapped in the Gulf because of the blockade.
IMO secretary-general Arsenio Dominguez said the sailors were “innocent people who are doing their jobs every day for the benefit of other countries” but had become caught in geopolitical conflict beyond their control.
“Ten sailors have lost their lives” in more than 30 attacks on vessels, Dominguez added.
Before the conflict erupted, roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The disruption has triggered a sharp rise in global energy prices.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran yesterday that heavier bombing could follow if Tehran does not agree to reopen the strategic waterway.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump said: “Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran.”
“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.”
Additional reporting from AFP
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