US says Iran, Iran says US: Who really broke ceasefire this time?
US, Iran blame each other for ceasefire violation Iran's version What sparked the dispute? Signs of diplomacy with US-Israel-Lebanon deal What happens next? Barely a
US, Iran blame each other for ceasefire violation Iran's version What sparked the dispute? Signs of diplomacy with US-Israel-Lebanon deal What happens next? Barely a week after the United States and Iran announced an interim ceasefire aimed at halting nearly four months of conflict, both sides accused each other of violating the agreement, raising fresh doubts over its durability on late Friday (local time).The latest escalation began after a cargo ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an Iranian drone on Thursday. Washington blamed Tehran for the attack, calling it a clear breach of the ceasefire, and responded on Friday by launching airstrikes on Iranian military sites.According to US central command, American aircraft struck missile and drone storage facilities as well as coastal radar sites used by Iranian forces. The military later released footage of an explosion from the operation and said the strikes had concluded."The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire," CENTCOM said, describing the operation as "a powerful response" to the attack on the commercial vessel.US Vice President JD Vance echoed that position, insisting Washington had honoured the memorandum of understanding reached last week."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 posted on X.Tehran tells a very different story.Iranian officials said the US strike targeted the area around the southern port of Sirik after Iranian forces had merely enforced shipping regulations in the Strait of Hormuz.State media, citing military sources, said several warning shots had earlier been fired toward vessels allegedly violating navigation rules, followed by the launch of two warning missiles from the nearby Karpan area toward the strategic waterway.On Saturday, Iran's Mehr news agency quoted the head of ports in eastern Hormozgan as saying the US strike caused no damage to Sirik Port, which continued normal operations.Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they retaliated by striking locations hosting US military deployments in the region.In a statement carried by state media, the Guards warned that "any further US attacks" would draw "a broader response."The Guards also argued that the ceasefire agreement recognised Iran's authority over ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and accused Washington of provoking confrontations to undermine that arrangement."The United States, by provoking various fronts, sought to violate this commitment.
The BriefWire