Web desk(National Times)- The United States and Iran traded military strikes after Washington on Friday accused Tehran of attacking a cargo ship, jeopardising a fragile ceasefire as diplomats struggle to contain the Middle East war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
US Central Command said the American strikes, against Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar positions, were a response to \u201cunwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces\u201d that \u201cclearly violated the ceasefire\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It described the operation as \u201ca powerful response to yesterday\u2019s attack on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iranian state television, citing a reporter in Sirik, said an explosion was heard late on Friday at Taherouyeh pier in the southern port city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It quoted an informed military source as saying the blast was caused by a projectile impact in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
US President Donald Trump had earlier denounced what he described as an Iranian drone strike on the vessel, saying: \u201cObviously, this is a foolish violation of our ceasefire agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vice President JD Vance issued a direct warning, posting on X that \u201cviolence will be met with violence\u201d if Iran carries out any further attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minutes later, on Saturday morning Iran time, state television reported that the Revolutionary Guards said they targeted US sites in the Gulf region in retaliation for the American strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf the aggression is repeated, our response will be broader than this,\u201d the Guards said, according to a post by state TV on Telegram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The exchanges raised fresh questions about efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open while Washington and Tehran negotiate a final settlement to a war that began February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran has warned vessels not to enter or leave the Gulf through the strait without permission, but ships have continued to move, some using a route not authorised by Tehran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Around half of the 42 vessels that made the passage on Thursday used a non-approved southern route along Oman\u2019s coast, according to tracking platform Kpler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The UN maritime agency said an evacuation operation had freed 115 vessels and 2,500 seafarers trapped by the dispute before the attack forced its suspension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oil prices nevertheless fell sharply, reflecting hopes that traffic through Hormuz \u2014 a strategic waterway which normally sees around a fifth of the world\u2019s oil and gas exports \u2014 would keep recovering despite the latest flare-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israel and Lebanon hailed an agreement signed with the US to pave the way towards peace on their front in the war, although Hezbollah warned the deal would thwart plans to resolve the broader conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a Washington signing ceremony, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, flanked by Israeli and Lebanese envoys, said the trilateral accord \u201cbegins to put in place a framework for lasting peace and security\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the beginning of the beginning. There\u2019s a lot of work ahead,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the framework as a victory against Iran, which argues the Lebanon front is inseparable from the wider war and should be resolved as part of US-Iran talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIran has been trying to force us to withdraw from southern Lebanon through pressure but, in effect, Israel, Lebanon, and the United States are telling them: this is none of your business,\u201d Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Netanyahu said the agreement would allow the Lebanese army to return to two \u201cpilot areas\u201d in southern Lebanon, but that Israeli forces would remain in their security zone until Hezbollah is disarmed. Displaced civilians would be prevented from returning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the unpublished framework as a \u201cfirst step\u201d toward civilians returning home \u201cunder the sovereignty of the Lebanese state\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Hezbollah supporters took to the streets of Beirut late on Friday to protest the agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said the Washington signing sought to undercut the US-Iran ceasefire, which he said envisioned Lebanon being settled through the wider peace process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Lebanese government, he warned, would be unable to impose the agreement \u201cunless they go, with American support, to civil war\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the UN nuclear watchdog\u2019s chief warned that any final US-Iran settlement would need strong safeguards to ensure Tehran does not build a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran\u2019s nuclear programme remains a central sticking point, with Tehran and Washington giving conflicting accounts of whether inspectors will regain access to the Islamic republic\u2019s facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe government of Iran has declared quite clearly that this is not their intention,\u201d International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said of developing nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut of course, intentions are not enough. We have to have a very strong verification system in place \u2026 as soon as is practicable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The interim agreement says Iran\u2019s stockpile of enriched uranium \u2014 estimated pre-war at 440 kilogrammes, enriched to 60 per cent \u2014 should be \u201cdownblended\u201d under IAEA supervision.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Web desk(National Times)- The United States and Iran traded military strikes after Washington on Friday accused Tehran of attacking a cargo ship, jeopardising a fragile ceasefire as diplomats struggle to contain the Middle East war. US Central Command said the American strikes, against Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar positions, were a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":128345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n