Washington, Tehran trade fire in Hormuz

 

Latest clash challenges fragile truce and threatens hopes for quick U.S.-Iran deal

A tense clash in the Strait of Hormuz between the United States and Iran on Thursday has put their fragile ceasefire at risk, with U.S. President Donald Trump again threatening Iran with more strikes if it does not sign a deal "fast".

The U.S. Central Command said that U.S. forces "intercepted unprovoked" Iranian attacks and "responded with self-defense strikes" as U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.

"Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats as USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87) transited the international sea passage. No U.S. assets were struck," CENTCOM said in a statement.

It said it eliminated "inbound threats" and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces, including missile and drone launch sites, command and control locations, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes.

The White House shared a social media post of Trump who said, "three world-class American destroyers" transited, "very successfully", out of the Strait of Hormuz under fire.

"There was no damage done to the three destroyers, but great damage done to the Iranian attackers … just like we knocked them out again today, we'll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don't get their deal signed, FAST!" Trump said in a post on the Truth Social platform.

He later told reporters the ceasefire remained in effect and played down the exchange.

However, Iran's Tasnim News Agency, citing informed sources, said in a Friday report that three U.S. destroyers near the Strait of Hormuz came under attack by the Iranian Navy late on Thursday.

The destroyers belonging to the "terrorist U.S. force" were retreating toward the Gulf of Oman after Iran's attack, the sources were quoted as saying.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said it carried out a large-scale combined operation against U.S. military vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, accusing the U.S. forces of ceasefire violations.

The United Arab Emirates' defense ministry said on Friday that the country's air defenses were dealing with missile and drone attacks originating from Iran, and confirmed that the sounds heard in the country were the result of the UAE air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.

Meanwhile, China confirmed on Friday that a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker carrying Chinese crew members was attacked near the strait, adding that no casualties have been reported so far.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian made the statement while responding to reports regarding an attack on a Chinese-owned oil products tanker.

Vital waterway

Lin noted that the Strait of Hormuz is a vital waterway for international navigation and expressed deep concern over the impact of the conflict on commercial shipping and crew safety. He called on all parties to take concrete measures to prevent further deterioration of the situation.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar said he had requested Singapore's support in facilitating the repatriation of 11 Pakistani and 20 Iranian seafarers aboard vessels seized by U.S. authorities near Singaporean waters.

Separately, an oil tanker that passed through the Strait of Hormuz has arrived in South Korea, the first such vessel to reach the country by transiting the strait amid Iran's blockade, AFP reported.

The Malta-flagged Odessa was spotted near a mooring facility off the coast of Seosan. According to the report, the arrival of the vessel and its cargo of an estimated 1 million barrels of crude oil will likely ease concerns in South Korea about energy security.