- US forces struck Iranian missile, drone sites after attack on cargo ship M/V Ever Lovely
- Iran's IRGC Navy launched retaliatory strikes on US military targets in the region
- US Central Command stressed continued coordination for safe commercial ship passage
The US-Iran conflict escalated further on Saturday after both sides launched fresh strikes, raising concerns over the security of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces carried out airstrikes on Iranian missile and drone storage sites, as well as coastal radar installations, in response to what it described as Iran's attack on the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel M/V Ever Lovely. According to CENTCOM, the ship was struck by a one-way attack drone while exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast. The US called the incident an "unwarranted aggression" that violated the ceasefire and undermined freedom of navigation through one of the world's busiest energy corridors.
CENTCOM added that American forces continue to coordinate safe passage for commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and remain deployed in the region to ensure compliance with the ceasefire agreement.
Iran responded swiftly, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy claiming it had launched retaliatory strikes on US military targets in the region. In a statement carried by Iranian state media Press TV, the IRGC said the attacks targeted the "deployment sites of the US terrorist military" and were carried out in response to American airstrikes on Iran's coastal areas. Tehran accused Washington of continuing its "pattern of breaching its commitments."
The latest exchange comes as the conflict approaches its fourth month. On Friday, US President Donald Trump claimed that the Iranian military had been "destroyed" within a week and a half of fighting and said the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz was helping push global oil prices lower.
However, fresh attacks on shipping have renewed concerns over maritime security. A United Nations agency reportedly halted the evacuation of vessels through the Strait on Thursday after British military authorities said a commercial ship had been struck by a projectile off the coast of Oman, despite several tankers using a UN-backed transit route.
Adding to the uncertainty, Iran's newly established Persian Gulf Strait Authority warned in a post on X that vessels transiting outside its designated shipping routes "will not be covered by the guarantee of safe passage," signaling tighter Iranian oversight of maritime traffic through the strategically important waterway.
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