By Monsurat Abisoye
The United States military launched fresh strikes on Iran on Saturday after Tehran allegedly targeted another commercial vessel near the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns over the future of a provisional peace agreement between the two countries.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American navy and air force jets struck Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defence positions, drone storage sites and mine-laying capabilities. The operation was carried out in response to an Iranian one-way drone attack on the Panama-flagged M/T Kiku oil tanker as it transited near the strategic waterway.
CENTCOM said Iran had been given an opportunity to honour the ceasefire agreement following Friday’s US strikes, which were launched after another Iranian drone attack on the M/V Ever Lovely. The earlier operation targeted Iranian missile and drone storage facilities and coastal radar installations. The command also released unclassified footage appearing to show the latest strikes.
In response, Tehran accused Washington of breaching the terms of their memorandum of understanding and launched missile and drone attacks on US facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. The head of Iran’s parliamentary national security commission, Ebrahim Azizi, said the American strikes demonstrated President Donald Trump’s lack of commitment to negotiations and the ceasefire, warning that the action would lead to regret on the part of the United States.
The renewed hostilities have cast further doubt on the provisional peace deal signed earlier this month. Under the agreement, both countries committed to a ceasefire and the protection of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil and gas transit route. The deal also requires the United States to remove its naval blockade of Iran, while Tehran is expected to reopen the strait and reaffirm that it will not develop or acquire nuclear weapons. Both sides were given 60 days to reach a final agreement.