The United States and Iran have exchanged missile strikes, signaling an end to an already highly unstable ceasefire agreement. The incident began after a US warplane fired a Hellfire missile at an Iranian-linked tanker near the Strait of Hormuz late on Tuesday.
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warned that any violation of the ceasefire would bring a “harsh price” for the US military. CENTCOM, meanwhile, said its forces “remain vigilant and ready to defend against unwarranted Iranian aggression during the ongoing ceasefire.”
Iran Confirms Ceasefire, Says Violations Will Result in Retaliation
The US missile strike damaged the Iranian vessel’s engine room. Washington said the Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie was heading toward Kharg Island in breach of its unilaterally imposed blockade.
Retalitory strikes ensued. Iran’s IRGC has said it targeted US military assets in the Persian Gulf region as a response to the attack, according to a report by RT.
Iran also struck an alleged US-affiliated vessel named Panaya with naval missiles.
That caused US forces to then apparently proceed with a strike on an IRGC telecom tower, in what CENTCOM later called “self-defense strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island.”
The US doesn’t seem to understand that its strikes are hardly in self-defense. They could potentially be retaliatory; however, it appears that the US started the missile volley with the attack on an Iranian vessel.
The Total Collapse Of Negotiations With Iran Threatens To Cause Global Economic Devastation
The IRGC then escalated with ballistic missile strikes on a “US air and helicopter base in a regional country,” as well as “the Fifth Fleet’s command center” in Bahrain.
The US Department of War claimed that all Iranian missiles failed to hit their targets.
Iran has urged its citizens to “remain calm” as the strikes continue.
An Extension Of A Failing Ceasefire Would Hardly Qualify As A “Breakthrough”
Both Iran and the US have largely refrained from direct exchanges since a fragile ceasefire went into effect in early April. While negotiations have remained stalled over Tehran’s nuclear program and the status of the Strait of Hormuz.